Johnson v. Johnson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

50 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 50 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““With these rules in mind, we may safely conclude that under the jurisprudence of this state, where a parent has not forfeited his right of visitation by his conduct and where the exercise of this privilege would not injuriously affect the welfare of the child, a parent against whom an adverse judgment has been rendered, granting unto the other spouse the care and custody of the child, has a right of access to the child, the right to have the child visit him. The exercise of these rights is under such reasonable restrictions as the circumstances in any given case may warrant, always within the discretion of the court, provided that the right to have the child make such visits be not of such a nature or for such a period of time as to have the effect of awarding to such parent part-time custody and thereby subjecting the child to a divided authority. All of these rights, of course, are always subject to the sound discretion of the lower court under the facts and circumstances of any given case; for the law is well settled that a reasonable latitude must be left to the trial judge in determining matters affecting the welfare of children, and that a judgment based upon the facts disclosed in any given case is entitled to great weight. State ex rel. Johnson v. Johnson et al., 149 La. 89 , 88 So. 698 ; Davis v. Willis et al., 169 La. 13 , 124 So. 129 ; State ex rel. Castillion v. Jeunesse, 185 La. 845 , 171 So. 51 ; State ex rel. Guinn v. Watson, 210 La. 265 , 26 So.2d 740 .””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 218 So. 2d 366 - Gallagher v. Gallagher · 253 So. 2d 230 - Woods v. Woods

2. “"In this state the law is well settled that, when the parents of children are separated or divorced, and the care and custody of the children, issue of their marriage, are vested in one of the parents, the other possesses certain natural rights with respect to the children. One of these is the right of access to his children, and the exercise of this right under such reasonable restriction as the circumstances warrant within the discretion of the court should not be withheld unless the parent has forfeited the privilege by his conduct or unless the exercise of the privilege would injuriously affect the welfare of the children."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 303 So. 2d 520 - Lemoine v. Lemoine

3. “visitation should never in any case be extended to the point where it becomes divided custody or a division of such authority.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 281 So. 2d 867 - Cook v. Wingo