Spaulding v. Melch’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. ““* * * We are satisfied that had Frederick Hoch been adopted by Fred Hoch under this statute, its provisions, as between the adopted son and the adopting father, would, in law, have constituted such adopted son the son of the adopting father, just as thought the adopted son had been born in lawful wedlock the natural son of the adopting father. This is the very plain intention of the statute under consideration. It intends, as to the children adopted under it, and as between adopting parent and the adopted child, to create a relation in law and in fact the same as exists under our laws between natural parent and the natural child. * * * ””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ex Parte Goldsmith

2. ““In our opinion, no valid distinction can be drawn between the effect of Article 46a, Section 9, operating in conjunction with Article 3357, Section 5, and the effect of said Article 46a, Section 9, operating in conjunction with Article 8293, which is here involved. If a person adopted in accordance with Article 46a, is to be considered the same as a natural child under Article 3357, then he must also be considered as a natural child under Article 8293.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ex Parte Goldsmith