Davis v. Phipps’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “. “The financial affairs of our commonwealth had been well-nigh wrecked by issuance of. bonds. far in excess of the amount justified by the liquid resources of the state. High taxes had been imposed- to raise revenues to' meet these enormous: obligations. It was well understood then, as it is now, thaf a continuation of these practices that had grown up was pyramiding debts and tapping every source of revenue for payment thereof, and could not continue without practical bankruptcy. . . . When we refer to the revenues of the state, we usually mean the annual or periodic yield of taxes, excises, customs, etc., which the state collects and receives into the treasury for public use, but the word ‘revenues’ may be much broader than that, as it may include rent, yield, as of land, profit. It includes annual and periodical rent, profits, interest, or issues of any species of property, real or personal, income. The yield from taxes is one of the last meanings given in Webster’s International Dictionary, yet it is the one with which we have most to do in questions such as are presented here. “It must be remembered that the bonds pledged in this case as security were bonds issued by school districts delivered to the State Board of Education as security for money obtained from the revolving loan fund. This is not, in fact, strictly a part of the state’s revenues, as distinguished from school funds. It is a part of the assets belonging to this revolving loan fund, but is, for practical p”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Attorney General v. State Board of Education

2. ““In the second proposition our conclusions are not without eminent authority to the effect that revenues mentioned in Amendment No. 20 as revenues of the- state do not include the securities pledged with the State Board of Education, nor the interest derived from these securities. An imposing array of authorities showing the distinction between revenues collected by the state for its support and maintenance, and those collected by state agencies or subdivisions, could easily be cited. . . . Finally, it may be suggested that the pledges contemplated by the State Board of Education are not within the forbidden class for another reason; that is, under Amendment No. 20 it would seem that pledges of revenue are forbidden only when such pledges are to secure state bonds. This seems to be in accordance with the language- of Amendment No. 20.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Attorney General v. State Board of Education

3. “* * * "Citizens of the State who have been interested in its welfare and who have attempted to keep themselves reasonably well-informed know what the evils were for which Amendment No. 20 was framed to cure. It must be a fact well recognized in State history that, at the time Amendment No. 20 was being considered by the electors of the State, the financial affairs of our Commonwealth had been well-nigh wrecked by issuance of bonds far in excess of the amount justified by the liquid resources of the state. High taxes had been imposed to raise revenues to meet these enormous obligations. It was well understood then, as it is now, that a continuation of these practices that had grown up were pyramiding debts and tapping every source of revenue for payment thereof and could not continue without practical bankruptcy."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Borchert v. Scott