Nix v. Hedden status of the cucumber, squash, pea, and bean. "Nix" has been cited in three Supreme Court decisions as a precedent for court interpretation of common meanings, especially dictionary definitions. ("Sonn v. Maggone," ; "Saltonstall v. Wiebusch & Hilger," ; and "Cadwalader v. Zeh," ). Additionally, in "JSG Trading Corp. v. Tray-Wrap, Inc.," 917 F.2d 75 (2d Cir. 1990), a case unrelated to "Nix" aside from the shared focus on tomatoes, a judge wrote the following paragraph citing the case: In 2005, supporters in the New Jersey legislature cited "Nix" as a basis for a bill designating the tomato as the
Edward L. Hedden and replaced him with George H. Sterling, without administering a civil service exam, as this was not required by law. The decision was attacked by civil service reformers, who believed the appointment was politically motivated and that Sterling was incompetent, although Hedden defended his choice. Eventually, President Cleveland demanded a competitive examination and Sterling lost the post. On August 7, 1886, Hedden resigned his post and was replaced by Daniel Magone. In 1887, Hedden was named as the defendant in the case "Nix v. Hedden", in which fruit importer John Nix sued Hedden to recover duties Nix believed were unnecessary.