Robertson v. Pickrell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

25 federal appellate · 2 district · 92 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 161 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “In most of the States in the Union-, a will of real property must be-admitted to.probate in some one of their courts, before it can be received elsewhere as a conveyance of such property. But by the law of Maryland, which governs in the District of Columbia, wills, so far as real property is concerned, are not admitted to such pro bate. The common law rule prevails' on that subject. The orphans’ court there may, it is true, take the probate of wills, though they affect lands, provided they affect chattels also; but the probate is evidence of the validity of the will, only so far as the personal property is concerned. As an instrument con-. veying real property, the probate is not evidence of its execution. That must be shown by a production of the instrument itself, and proof by the subscribing ’ witnesses; or, if they be not living, by proof of their hand writing.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Campbell v. Porter

2. “The record of any will or codicil heretofore or hereafter recorded in the office of the register of wills of the District of Columbia, which shall have been admitted to probate by the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, or by the .late orphans’ court of said District, or the record of the transcript of the record and probate of any will or codicil elsewhere, or of any certified copy thereof, heretofore or hereafter filed in the office of . said register of wills shall be prima facie evidence of the contents and du,e execution of such wills and codicils: Provided, that this act shall not apply in any cause now pending in any of the courts of the District of Columbia.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Campbell v. Porter

3. ““The act of Congress declaring the effect to be given in any court within the United States to the records and judicial proceedings of the several states does not require that they shall have any greater force and efficacy in other courts than in the courts of the states from which they are taken, hut only such faith and credit as by law or usage they have there. Any other rule would be repugnant to all principle, and, as we said on a former occasion, would contravene the policy of the provisions of the Constitution and laws of the United States on that subject. Board of Public Works v. Columbia College, 17 Wall. 521 , 529 [ 21 L. Ed. 687 ].””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Higgins v. Eaton