City of Covington v. Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Empirical Analysis
173 U.S. 231 · 1899
Citation profile
11 federal appellate · 2 district · 37 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 92 later decisions (25 by the Supreme Court) — most recently December 2006 · most notably Hunter v. City of Pittsburgh (1907), City of Trenton v. New Jersey (1923)
11 federal appellate · 2 district · 37 state decisions — followed in 15 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 Sinking-Fund Cases v. United States Central Pacific Railroad Company · Gibbs v. Consolidated Gas Co. of Baltimore · City of New Orleans v. New Orleans Water-Works Co Conery · Greenwood v. Freight Co. · Spring Valley Water Works v. Schottler
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 92 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““It is not contended, nor could it well be, that any private right oí the city was infringed, but only that a power to regulate in -the public interest theretofore confided to it was taken away and lodged in another agency of the state — one created by the state Constitution. Thus the whole controversy is as to which of two existing agencies or arms of the state government is authorized for the time being to exercise in the public interest a particular power, obviously governmental, subject to which the franchise confessedly was granted. In this no question under the contract clause of the Constitution of the United States is involved, but only a question of local law, the decision of which by the Supreme Court of the state is final. “ ‘Municipal corporations are political subdivisions of the state, created as convenient agencies for exercising such of the governmental powers of the states as may be intrus'ted to them. For the purpose of executing these powers properly and efficiently they usually are given the power to acquire, hold, and manage personal and real property. The number, nature, and duration of the powers conferred upon these corporations and the territory over which they shall be exercised rests in the absolute discretion of the slate. Neither their charters, nor any law conferring- governmental powers, or vesting in them property to be used for governmental purposes, or authorizing them to hold or manage such property, or exempting them from taxation upon it, ”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority““That where any corporation shall expire or be dissolved, or its corporate rights and privileges shall cease by reason of a repeal of its charter or otherwise, and no different provision is made by law, all its works and property and all debts payable to it, shall be subject to the payment of debts owing by it, and then to distribution among the members according to their respective interests; and such corporation may sue and be sued as before, for the purpose .of settlement and distribution as aforesaid.” 1 Laws 1855-56, p. 15, c. 148.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“Before a statute â particularly one relating to taxation â should be held to be irrepealable, or not subject to amendment, an intent not to repeal or amend must be so directly and unmistakably expressed as to leave no room for doubt.”
1 later decision 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.