Box v. Lanier’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

27 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 28 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It has been well said that there are certain general and fundamental maxims of the common law which control laws as well as contracts. Among these are: “No one shall be permitted to profit by his own fraud, or to take advantage of his own wrong, or to found any claim upon his own iniquity, or to acquire property by his own crime. These maxims are adopted by public policy, and have their foundation in universal law administered in all civilized countries.” These maxims embodied in the common law, and constituting an essential part of its warp and woof, are found announced both in text-books and in reported cases. Without their recognition and enforcement by the courts, their judgments would excite the indignation of all right-thinking people. The first of these maxims is applied in order to prevent one from taking the benefit of his own fraud. Why should not the last be enforced so as to forbid a party receiving the fruits of his own crime?”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Hicks v. Boshears

2. ““For it may be true that it would be a stretch of judicial authority to hold that an unambiguous statute providing a line of devolution of property should be interpreted to mean that this line was to be broken upon the felonious homicide of the ancestor or testator by the one next in succession.” (Page 407.)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. McAllister v. Fair