McWilliams v. McWilliams’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The words ‘period of seven years’ are used three times in the section. First, the spouses must ‘have been living separate and apart for a period of seven years or more’; second, suit may be brought in the courts of their residence in the State ‘provided such residence shall have been continuous for the period of seven years,’ and the divorce ‘shall he granted on proof of the continuous living separate and apart of the spouses, during said period of seven years or more.’ Succinctly stated, we think the law means that either spouse may, when he or she has lived apart from the other continuously for a period of seven years or more, sue in the courts of his or her residence within the State for an absolute divorce, provided the 'residence within the' State and the living apart have both been continuous for a period of seven years.” (Italics mine.)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Davidson v. Helm