EX PARTE GEORGE

U.S. | 1962-11-13
No. 375
371 U.S. 72 Supreme Court of the United States (1962) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 9 L. Ed. 2d 133 · 83 S. Ct. 178 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2183 · SCDB 1962-008
Cited by 3 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.


Holding

The Court held that the petitioner's picketing was at least arguably protected by the National Labor Relations Act, thus divesting the state court of jurisdiction to enjoin it.


Facts & Procedural History

A union picketed a refinery operated by a subsidiary of American Oil Company, despite a valid collective bargaining agreement with another union. The …

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Per_curiam
Per Curiam.

Per Curiam.

The petition for certiorari is granted. We vacate the judgment of the Supreme Court of Texas setting aside the original writ of habeas corpus issued by it on July 10, 1961, and remand the cause to that court for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.

American Oil Company was involved in a labor dispute with the National Maritime Union, which represented unlicensed crew members aboard company vessels. The union peacefully picketed a refinery operated by a subsidiary of American that had a valid collective bargaining agreement with the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union. Upon findings that the object of the National Maritime Union’s picketing of the refinery was to secure the disregard, breach or violation of the collective bargaining agreement by the refinery workers and their union, in violation of Art. 5154d, § 4, Vernon’s Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat., Ann., the subsidiary-obtained a temporary injunction from the Tenth Judicial District Court of Galveston County against picketing at the refinery. The injunction in express terms bound the petitioner, an official'of the National Maritime Union. Petitioner nevertheless picketed the refinery after publicly announcing his intention so to do, on the ground that he did not believe that the court had jurisdiction to issue the injunction. He was adjudged in contempt.

The only issue mooted on the habeas corpus proceeding was the jurisdiction of the District Court to issue the injunction. Under Texas law one may not be punished for contempt for violating a temporary injunction, as here, granted by a court having no' jurisdiction of the subject matter. Ex parte Twedell, 158 Tex. 214, 309 S. W. 2d 834; Ex parte Dilley, 160 Tex. 522, 334 S. W. 2d 425. The District Court was without jurisdiction if petitioner’s picketing was arguably prohibited or arguably protected by the National Labor Relations Act. “In the absence of the Board’s clear determination that an activity is neither protected nor prohibited or of compelling precedent applied to essentially undisputed facts, it is not for this Court to decide whether such activities are subject to state jurisdiction.” San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon, 359 U. S. 236, 246. The Texas Supreme Court held that petitioner’s conduct was neither arguably prohibited nor arguably protected by the Act. 163 Tex.-, 358 S. W. 2d 590.

We disagree. Even assuming, without deciding, that the picketing would not fall within the prohibitions of § 8 (b)(1)(A) or § 8 (b)(4)(i)(B) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, we hold, in light of the District Court’s finding that American wholly owns the subsidiary and “directs'and controls all of . . . [its] activities,” that petitioner’s picketing was conduct at least arguably protected by § 7 of the Act.

Vacated and remanded.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Radio Corp. OF Am. v. Local 780, 160 So. 2d 150 (Fla. 2d DCA 1964)
    …the National Labor Relations Board has been accorded exclusive jurisdiction of such matters. Perhaps the most heavily relied upon cases advanced by them are those of Re Green, 1962, 369 U.S. 689, 82 S.Ct. 1114, 8 L.Ed.2d 198; Ex parte George, 1962, 371 U.S. 72, 83 S.Ct. 178, 9 L.Ed.2d 133; General Drivers, Warehousemen, and Helpers, Local Union No. 89 v. American Tobacco Co., Inc., 1955, 348 U.S. 978, 75 S.Ct. 569, 99 L.Ed. 762; Bogle v. Jakes Foundry Co., 1960, 362 U.S. 401, 80 S.Ct. 812, 4 L.Ed.2d 864;…

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw