Simpson v. Willard’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““But in the case of a casual vacancy in the office of justice of the supreme court, whether chief or associate, the rule is different, because the provision fixing their term of office at six years must, necessarily, be qualified by that other provision in the same section which requires that they shall be so classified as that one of them must go out of office every two years; otherwise, this latter provision would be entirely defeated. ■ Hence, in filling a casual vacancy in the office of justice of the supreme court, it must be so done as not to.disturb this essential feature of classification stamped upon that tribunal by the constitution. Manifestly this can only be effectually preserved by filling casual vacancies for the unexpired term only.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People ex rel. Bentley v. Le Fevre