People v. Rue’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 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 7 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ T. Section 5027 of the Code of 1924 provides: “ ‘Whoever while in an intoxicated condition operates a motor vehicle shall upon conviction be sentenced to the penitentiary for a period not exceeding one year, or be punished .by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by both such fine and imprisonment.’ “Nowhere in said legislation is there any indication that the offense contains, the prerequisite of commission upon a public road or street, nor does the fact that it is found in the chapter relating to motor vehicles and the ‘law of the road’ signify that, because of said title, construction requires the implication that the definition is not complete without including, by inference, such unexpressed condition. See State v. Pike, 312 Mo. 27 , 278 S.W. 725 . “Important is the fact that throughout the chapter the legislators have limited the scope of the act to the public thoroughfares, if they so intended, and when the thought was otherwise, the omission expresses it. Automobiles have been declared dangerous instrumentalities, and it can be readily understood why their operation by intoxicated persons would not be allowed anywhere, for the very good reason that the influence of liquor upon the human mind is such that the addict might not remain off the public way, .but because of said very loss of self-control, wander or recklessly drive the-machine in front of or over others legitimately using the ‘road,’ oftentimes, causing injury, destruction, or death. * * *” [ 16”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Harold