Townshend v. Gray

19 A. 635 (1890)

From our private database of 47,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Townshend v. Gray

Vermont Supreme Court
19 A. 635 (1890)

  • Written by Jennifer Flinn, JD

Facts

Townshend (plaintiff) graduated with an M.D. from Vermont Medical College. The Vermont State Eclectic Medical Society (the Medical Society) refused to issue her a license to practice medicine in the state because Vermont Medical College had no authority to issue M.D.s. The Vermont Medical College was organized under a Vermont law that allowed for a corporation to establish and maintain a literary or scientific institution. The law also allowed such a corporation to have a corporate name and seal, to adopt by-laws, to sue and be sued, to hold real estate, to raise money, and to divide stock into shares. The statute did not expressly allow such corporations to confer degrees. Townshend filed a petition for a writ of mandamus to force the Medical Society to issue her a license to practice medicine.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Powers, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 964,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 964,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 47,500 briefs, keyed to 1,006 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
  • AI-generated podcast version of every brief — listen on the go, between classes, or whenever reading isn’t an option. New

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 964,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 47,500 briefs - keyed to 1,006 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Education Law

Key Terms

  • Writ of MandamusAn order from a higher court to a lower court, public agency, governmental entity, or governmental official directing the recipient to perform an act on the grounds that it is legally required or appropriate. A writ of mandamus is also known as a writ of mandate.
  • LicensePermission to do something that would otherwise be prohibited.

Understand your casebook readings in seconds

Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings faster, supplement your notes and outlines, and outshine your peers in class.

Get instant access to over 47,500+ expert-written case briefs in a searchable database keyed to 1,006 law school casebooks.

Case book preview
Start your free 7-day trial