Sawyer v. Bezner’s Empirical Analysis
1947
Citation profile
31 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 31 later decisions — most recently March 1982 · most notably Taylor v. Meek (1955), Mitchell v. Davis (1947)
31 state decisions
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 Dunn v. Jackson · Mortensen v. Mortensen · Tunnell v. Reeves · McGarraugh v. McGarraugh · Evans v. Taylor
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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““Ordinarily where the custody of minor children is involved, the best interest of the children is the paramount issue, (citing cases) The presumption is that the best interest of the children will be subserved by awarding them to the natural parent, but this is a rebuttable presumption, and it is not necessary that the respondents prove that the natural parent is disqualified by immorality or misfortune, (citing cases) The question as to which of the two homes will best promote the interest of the minors is a question of fact. The authority and discretion to weigh the testimony and to determine where the best interest of the minors will be subserved is vested in the trial court, and the appellate court should not disturb the judgment of the trial court unless it is so contrary to the great preponderance of the testimony as to reveal an abuse of that discretion.” (citing cases)”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Bell v. Hoskins
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.