Lake County v. Rollins’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

82 federal appellate · 20 district · 131 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 377 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “If the words convey a definite meaning, which involves no absurdity, nor any contradiction of other parts of the instrument, then that meaning, apparent on the face of the instrument, must be accepted ....”

   22 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Berlin Iron Bridge Co. v. City of San Antonio · Brazoria County v. Youngstown Bridge Co.

2. ““But should it work hardship to individuals, that by no means warrants the violation of a plain and emphatic provision of the Constitution. The liberty of the citizen, and his security in all his rights, in a large degree depend upon the rigid adherence to the provisions of the Constitution and the laws and. their faithful performance. If courts, to avoid hardships, may disregard and refuse to enforce their provisions, then the security of the citizen is imperiled. Then the will — it may be the unbridled will —of the judge, would usurp the place of the Constitution and the laws; and the violation of one provision is liable to speedily become a precedent for another, perhaps more flagrant, until all. constitutional and legal barriers are destroyed, and none are secure in their rights. Nor are we justified in resorting to strained construction or astute interpretation to avoid the intention of the framers of the Constitution, or the statutes adopted under it, even to relieve against individual or local hardships. If unwise or hard in their operation, the power that adopted can repeal or amend, and remove the inconvenience. The power to do so has been wisely withheld from the courts; their functions only being to enforce the laws as they find them enacted.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Decker v. Stanfield

3. ““That at the time of the rendition of the said several judgments in the complaint specified, and the issuance of the warrants herein sued upon, in part payment of the same, the aggregate amount of the indebtedness of the said Rio Grande county for all purposes, exclusive of the debts contracted prior to the adoption of the present constitution of the state of Colorado, exceeded six dollars for eacli one thousand dollars of assessed valuation of the taxable property of said county; and that the question of incurring such indebtedness, or of any indebtedness whatever, on the part of said county, had at no time prior to the rendition of said several judgments, or to the issuance of the said warrants in payment thereof, been submitted to the qualified electors of said county at a general election, or at any election, or in any manner whatsoever; nor was the said indebtedness upon which the said several judgments were based, for which the warrants sued upon were issued in part payment, or any part thereof, contracted for the purpose of erecting necessary public buildings, or for making or repairing public roads or bridges.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Wilder v. Board of County Com'rs Rio Grande County