Miller v. Ahrens’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 federal appellate · 2 district · 2 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 10 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The provision made by general law, under the last clause of the above section of the Constitution, is chairtcr 57 of the Code of West Virginia; and it provides that the circuit court of the county shall appoint trustees to hold church property, and section 7 of that chapter [sec. 3299] provides that such trustees! may take and hold for the purposes mentioned in the first section of said chapter, not exceeding four acres of lands in an incorporated city, town or village, and not exceeding 60 acres out of such city, town or village.” “This chapter makes provision in relation to the conveyances of land which shall be made for use or benefit of any church, religious seel;, society, congregation or denomination as a place of public worship or a burial place or as a residence for a minister and provides that the land shall bo held for such x>urposo and no other'.” “Our [complainants’] contention is that this statute has no relation to the subject under discussion in this case. A church of any denomination lias the right, under this statute, made in pursuance of the Constitution to take and hold real estate for church purposes locally to the extent “provided in section 7, but this by no means authorizes the incorporation of a company to take tho land for any purposes connected with the church or religious denomination.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Stump v. Sturm

2. ““On behalf of the plaintiff it is contended that this devise is void: First, because the beneficiary cannot be recognized as having a legal corporate existence by the laws of this state; second, because, aside from its corporate existence, the beneficiary is uncertain: third, because the tract of land sought to be devised exceeds the quantity that may be acquired for a church or religious denomination or body; fourth, because land cannot be taken for a church by trustees by devise; fifth, because the devise is contrary to the public policy of ilie state.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v. Miller

3. ““No charter of incorporation shall be granted to any church or religious denomination. Provisions may be made by general laws for securing the title to church property, and for the sale and transfer thereof, so that it shall be held, used, or transferred for the purposes of such church or religious denomination.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Stump v. Sturm