Holifield v. Holifield’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 state decisions

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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The Missouri Supreme Court has recognized that custody issues often require courts to make choices ‘knowing that circumstances will change, but without any assurance as to how changed circumstances will impact the best interests of the child[ ].’ ” Lavadle v. Lavadle, 11 S.W.3d 640, 651 (Mo.App. E.D.1999) (quoting Lacker v. Lacker, 785 S.W.2d 78, 80 (Mo. banc 1990)). “In an effort to accommodate the uncertainty, ‘some courts have fashioned orders that attempt to take into account future contingencies’ by, for instance, ordering a change of custody when a specific event occurs, or requiring the parties to reappear in court after the expiration of a specified time, or by leaving custody open pending the resolution of employment decisions of one or both parties.” Id. “While commending the ‘genuine concern for the children’ that motivates ‘such creativity,’ the Missouri Supreme Court concluded such provisions improperly expand the trial court’s jurisdiction.” Id.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Carlton v. Walters