Lawton v. Steele’s Empirical Analysis
152 U.S. 133 · 1894
Citation profile
67 federal appellate · 107 district · 932 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 1,471 later decisions (88 by the Supreme Court) — most recently May 2023 · most notably Meyer v. State of Nebraska (1923), Ingraham v. Wright (1977)
67 federal appellate · 107 district · 932 state decisions — followed in 49 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 Slaughter-House Cases the Butchers' Benevolent Association of New Orleans v. The Crescent City Live · Barbier v. Connolly · Callan v. Wilson · Kidd v. Pearson
Cited together with Mugler v. State of Kansas State of Kansas Tufts · Goldblatt v. Town of Hempstead · Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon · Village of Euclid Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co · Barbier v. Connolly
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 1,471 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“To justify the State in ... interposing its authority in behalf of the public, it must appear, first, that the interests of the public generally, as distinguished from those of a particular class, require such interference; and second, that the means are reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of the purpose, and not unduly oppressive upon individuals.”
64 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““§ 164. Control and eradication of injurious insects and plant diseases. “1. The commissioner shall take such action as he may deem necessary to control or eradicate any injurious insects or plant diseases existing within the state. “2. All trees, shrubs, plants and vines or other material infected or infested with injurious insects or plant diseases, or which have been exposed to injurious insects or plant diseases, or which are hosts of such plant diseases, are hereby declared public nuisances and may be destroyed or ordered destroyed by the commissioner. “3. The commissioner may order the owner or person in charge of any infected or infested trees, shrubs, plants and vines or other material or host plants * * * to take such measures to eradicate or control the said infestation or infection as the commissioner may deem necessary or proper. * * * Such owner or person in charge shall' promptly carry out the order of the commissioner within the period of time designated in the order. If such owner or person in charge shall refuse or neglect to carry out any such order, the commissioner may apply such eradication or control measures at the expense of the owner * * *". “§ 3. Declaration of policy and purposes. * * * “Accordingly, all laws enacted concerning the agricultural industry and its allied subjects, whether included in this chapter or not, are to be deemed an exercise of the police power of the state and a discharge of its obligations for the promotion of the general wel”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage“the summary abatement of nuisances without judicial process or proceeding was well known to the common law long prior to the adoption of the constitution...”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.