Ex parte Curtis’s Empirical Analysis
106 U.S. 371 · 1882
Citation profile
84 federal appellate · 15 district · 70 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 271 later decisions (44 by the Supreme Court) — most recently July 2023 · most notably Connick v. Myers (1983), Fay v. Noia (1963)
84 federal appellate · 15 district · 70 state decisions — followed in 21 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Ex parte Lange · Ex parte Rowland
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 271 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“maintain[ing] proper discipline in the public service”
7 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““A feeling of independence under the law conduces to faithful public service, and nothing tends more to take away this feeling than a dread of dismissal. If contributions from those in public employment may be solicited by others in official authority, it is easy to see that what begins as a request may end as a demand, and that a failure to meet the demand may be treated by those having the power of removal as a breach of some supposed duty, growing out of the political relations of the parties. Contributions secured under such circumstances will quite as likely be made to avoid the consequences of the personal displeasure of a superior, as to promote the political views of the contributor- — to avoid a discharge from service, not to exercise a political privilege.” Id. at 373-74 , 1 S.Ct. at 384-385 .”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“requesting, giving to, or receiving from, any other officer or employee of the government, any money or property or other thing of value for political purposes.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.