Alter v. Johnson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 16 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"... In interpreting a statute the safer rule for us to follow is to ascertain the true intent of the legislature. That intent is to be derived in the first place from the words used, and when that intent is apparent and is appropriate to the obvious purpose of the act we should give that intent effect rather than to search for another meaning, although we might think some other policy would be more effectual...." (p. 447.)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hunter v. Haun

2. ““A primary rule of construction is that the intention of the legislature is to be derived from its language, and when it is not obscure or uncertain there is no reason for a court to look beyond the words used in search of what the legislature intended to enact when the language employed clearly shows what it did enact.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State ex rel. Meyers v. Board of County Commissioners

3. ““Instead of creating a lien or'declaring a preference, which could have been done in a few words if that had been the purpose of the legislature, it stopped with the prohibition of the transfer of property after a bank becomes insolvent.” (p. 446.)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Citizens State Bank v. Farmer