Answered: Copyright Expirations

No, you do not need permission to reprint this for a couple of reasons:

1). It is automatically in the public domain by virtue of its being a US Circuit Court Document. Works by the US Government are not eligible for US copyright protection.
(This is the document I'm referring to, please confirm this is what you mean: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/dubois/classes/995/98F/doc34.htm)

2). Even if it had been at one time been protected under US Copyright (which it was not), its term would likely have ended by now. Here is a quick breakdown of the rules. Its more complicated than this, so I am providing you with several links that deal with the minutia.

For unpublished works:
copyright term was life of the author plus 70 years, so if the author died before 1935, the work passed into the public domain in January of 1935

For works published in the US:

Before 1923
In the public domain

1923 through 1977
Published without a copyright notice
In the public domain

1978 to 1 March 1989
Published without notice, and without subsequent registration
In the public domain

1978 to 1 March 1989
Published without notice, but with subsequent registration
70 years after the death of author, or if work of corporate authorship, the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation

1923 through 1963
Published with notice but copyright was not renewed
In the public domain

1923 through 1963
Published with notice and the copyright was renewed
95 years after publication date

1964 through 1977
Published with notice
95 years after publication date

1978 to 1 March 1989
Published with notice
70 years after death of author, or if work of corporate authorship, the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation

After 1 March 1989
70 years after death of author, or if work of corporate authorship, the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation

Resources:

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
1 January 2005
http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/copyrightterm.pdf

When Works Pass Into the Public Domain by Lolly Gasaway (She's the bomb on this)
http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm

Copyright Durations
http://www.bromsun.com/practice/copyrights/copyright_durations.html
This site has a flowchart of copyright terms if you are into graphical representations.
Paste this script into your browser as the URL: javascript:NewWindow('flowchart.html','flowchart','722','540','yes')

Copyright basics from the US Copyright office
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#piu

Please let me know if this answers your question.
Best, Michele