Motl v. Boyd’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 federal appellate · 135 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 151 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Illustrative of the Texas type of flood is that of Little River in Central Texas in the 1921 flood. This stream has a length of 237 miles from its head-waters to Cameron, with a drainage area of about 7,000 square miles, and a slope of about 5.52 feet per mile. During this flood the maximum discharge at Cameron was 6U7,000 cubic feet of water per second. United States’ Geological Survey Water Supply Paper No. 488, pp. 18, 19. Some idea of the vastness of this discharge will be gained by noting that it is approximately one-third of that of the Mississippi River at flood stage. This flood was more or less general over central Texas, caused a loss of 224 lives, and destroyed or damaged property amounting to ten millions of dollars. Water Supply Paper, supra. In 1913 there was a destructive flood, measurably over this same area, which caused the loss of 177 lives and destroyed property valued at more than $8,500,000.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Brazos River Conservation & Reclamation District v. McCraw

2. “It is the duty of the [Board of Water Engineers] to reject applications where there is no unappropriated water in the source of supply. The facts as to that question can be determined by the [Board of Water Engineers] by the mere matter of adding up the amount of water previously appropriated and shown on their records, and subtracting it from the amount of state water which they had previously determined the stream furnished.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Lower Colorado River Authority v. Texas Department of Water Resources

3. ““This course is insisted on with so much force and so earnestly that we have concluded to investigate the whole subject for the purpose, if we can, of ascertaining the rule applicable in this state, and of harmonizing our statutes and decisions and setting at rest, in so far as we can, the question involved.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Valmont Plantations