Hoey v. McCarthy’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

17 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 17 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It is manifestly the duty of the courts to see to it that justice is not allowed to fail, and that no one is denied the opportunity of asserting his rights under the law because he is an object of charity; but it is equally their duty not to encourage unnecessary and fruitless litigation, or to allow the public treasury to be opened, merely to harass persons against whom speculative claims in which no merit is apparent, may be asserted. The defendant may have been unable to endure such an unequal contest.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Thompson v. Thompson

2. “The court must be satisfied that the petitioner has not sufficient means to prosecute the action. More than that, the court ought to be satisfied that the claim upon which the action is predicated is a meritorious one. (our emphasis) Id. at 466 , 24 N.E. at 1038 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Thompson v. Thompson

3. “[t]here is probably no profession where benefactions to the poor, in the way of ... material respects, exceed those of the legal profession.”

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