Sawyer’s Empirical Analysis
124 U.S. 200 · 1888
Citation profile
138 federal appellate · 70 district · 249 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 768 later decisions (79 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 2026 · most notably Ex Parte: Edward T Young (1908), Baker v. Carr (1962)
138 federal appellate · 70 district · 249 state decisions — followed in 38 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Osborn v. President Directors and Company of the Bank of the United States · Calder et Wife, v. Bull et Wife. · Bain Jr · Watson v. Jones · In re Ayers
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 768 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““The office and jurisdiction of a court of equity, unless enlarged by express statute, are limited to the protection of rights of property.””
22 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““It is further objected * * * that a court of equity has no jurisdiction to enjoin criminal proceedings, by indictment or otherwise, under the state law. This, as a general rule, is true. But there are exceptions. When such indictment or proceeding is brought to enforce an. alleged unconstitutional statute, which is the subject-matter of inquiry in a suit already pending in a Federal court, the latter court having first obtained jurisdiction over the subject-matter, has the right, in both civil and criminal cases, to hold and maintain such jurisdiction, to the exclusion of all other courts, until its duty is fully performed. * * * Where one commences a criminal proceeding who is already party to a suit then pending in a court of equity, if the criminal proceedings are brought to enforce the same right that is in issue before that court, the latter may enjoin such criminal proceedings.””
6 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Couper v. Smyth · Morgan v. Nunn““Where a court has jurisdiction, it has a right to decide every question which occurs in the cause; and, whether its decision be correct or otherwise, its judgment, until reversed, is regarded as binding in every- other court. But, if it act without authority, its judgments and orders are regarded as nullities.””
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Dexter v. Sayward · In re Eaton
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.