Williams v. . Thompson’s Empirical Analysis
1939
Citation profile
5 federal appellate · 14 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 21 later decisions — most recently June 2005
5 federal appellate · 14 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.
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 21 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““ . . . ‘The effect of a deed must depend upon the effect of the language used. A grantor can impose conditions and can make the title conveyed dependent’ upon their performance. But if he does not make any condition, but simply expresses the motive which induces him to execute the deed, the legal effect of the granting words cannot be controlled by the language indicating the grant- or’s motive.’. . .. ” * * * # “ ... By all of the canons of construction and the rules laid down by the courts for ascertaining the intention of the donor, we are brought to the conclusion that no trust is created by the language in this deed. In saying that no trust is created, we, of course, mean no other trust than is imposed upon all property held by the trustee or official body representing a religious society pursuant to the provisions of section 3665 of the Code, [now G.S. 61-3] The plaintiff held the property for the use of the congregation, consisting of the members of the church organized as St. James Parish, with the right and power to appropriate it to such uses and purposes as the said congregation, acting through its organized agencies, may direct .... While the language used by the donor is not, strictly speaking, precatory, but rather expressive of motive, the same interpretation should be given it. . . . (Emphasis ours.) “ . . . We simply decide that there is no declaration of trust in the deed made by Dr. DeRosset to the plaintiff, that the language sought to be construed into a”
1 later decision quote this exact passage““Item I: I leave to by niece Clarentine P. Clift lot No. 108, in the Town of Plymouth during her natural life, and after her death, I give and bequeath the said lot with all improvements and hereditaments to the Methodist Episcopal Church in this place, to be used by the stewards or legal representatives of the said church in the Town of Plymouth, as a parsonage for the minister and for no other purpose, in order to secure the possession of my burying ground to the aforesaid Church and to its keeping and care.” (Emphasis ours.)”
1 later decision quote this exact passage
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.