Cromwell v. Ferrier’s Empirical Analysis
1967
Citation profile
7 federal appellate · 3 district · 31 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 49 later decisions (3 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 1982 · most notably Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego (1981), 26 Cal. 3d 848 - Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego (1980)
7 federal appellate · 3 district · 31 state decisions — followed in 11 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 Murphy, Inc. v. Town of Westport · General Outdoor Advertising Co. v. Department of Public Works · United Advertising Corp. v. Borough of Raritan · Norate Corp. v. Zoning Board of Adjustment · People Ex Rel. M. Wineburgh Advertising Co. v. Murphy
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 49 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““The exercise of the police power should not extend to every artistic conformity or nonconformity. Rather, what is involved are those esthetic considerations which bear substantially on the economic, social, and cultural patterns of a community or district. Advertising signs and billboards, if misplaced, often are egregious examples of ugliness, distraction, and deterioration. They are just as much subject to reasonable controls, including prohibition, as enterprises which emit offensive noises, odors, or debris. The eye is entitled to as much recognition as the other senses, but, of course, the offense to the eye must be substantial and be deemed to have material effect of the community or district pattern.” 19 N.Y.2d 263, 272 , 279 N.Y.S.2d 22, 30 , 225 N.E.2d 749, 755 .”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage“Once it be conceded that aesthetics is a valid subject of legislative concern, the conclusion seems inescapable that reasonable legislation designed to promote that end is a valid and permissible exercise of the police power.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage
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.