Ex parte Lange’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

1 federal appellate · 6 district ·

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

1. ““Tile jurisdiction of tlie courts to naturalize aliens is conferred by special statute, and is to lie exercised in a special and summary manner, and not according to the rules governing courts in plenary proceedings. Usually these proceedings are ex parte, and the declaration of intention almost invariably ex parle. The law is well settled that in such cases a judgment can only be supported by a record which shows that all the facts necessary to confer jurisdiction existed, as no presumption as to jurisdiction will be indulged. •" * , * The Congress, in enacting this statute, for reasons which courts cannot inquire into, did not consider it sufficient to require of the alien merely a renunciation of allegiance to his sovereign and state in general terms, hut, in addition to these general terms, prescribed the additional renunciation ‘by name, to the prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of which the alien may be at the time a. citizen or subject.’ In the declaration of intention now presented the petitioner wholly omitted this latter requirement. To hold that this omission is immaterial would, in effect, be an amendment of the act of Congress, 'by disregarding a material part of the statute, because, in the opinion of the court, it was unnecessarily or inadvertently inserted. No one, of course, will contend that the court, possesses such power, v * * While the court is of the opinion that the naturalization laws should he liberally construed, in order to enable those aliens”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. In re Stack

2. ““An alien may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States in the following manner, and not otherwise: “First. He shall declare on oath, before a Circuit or District Court of the United States, or a district or Supreme Court of the territories, or a court of record of any of the states having common-law jurisdiction, and a seal, and clerk, two years, at least, prior to his admission, that it is bona fide his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and, particularly, by name, to the prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of which the alien may be at the time a citizen or subject.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. In re Stack