Guinn v. United States’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

143 federal appellate · 32 district · 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 496 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “" * * * It (the United States) says state power to provide for suffrage is not disputed, although, of course, the authority of the 15th Amendment and the limit on that power which it imposes is insisted upon. Hence, no assertion denying the right of a state to exert judgment and discretion in fixing the qualification of suffrage is advanced, and no right to question the motive of the state in establishing a standard as to such subjects under such circumstances, or to review or supervise the same, is relied upon, and no power to destroy an otherwise valid exertion of authority upon the mere ultimate operation of the power exercised is asserted. And applying these principles to the very case in hand, the argument of the government in substance says: No question is raised by the government concerning the validity of the literacy test provided for in the amendment under consideration as an independent standard since the conclusion is plain that that test rests on the exercise of state judgment, and therefore cannot be here assailed either by disregarding the state’s power to judge on the subject, or by testing its motive in enacting the provision. 238 U.S. at pages 359-360, 35 S.Ct. at page 929 . ****** “Beyond doubt the Amendment does not take away from the state governments in a general sense the power over suffrage which has belonged to those governments from the beginning, and without the possession of which power the whole fabric upon which the division of state and national”

   8 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Breedlove v. Suttles · Anderson v. Martin

2. “the standard itself inherently brings that result into existence.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Davis v. Guam · League of Women Voters of Fla., Inc. v. Detzner

3. ““Sec. 1. Every person presenting himself for registration shall be able to read and write any section of the Constitution of North Carolina in the English language. It shall be the duty of each registrar to administer the provisions of this section. “Sec. 2. Any person who is denied registration for any reason may appeal the decision of the registrar to the county board of elections of the county in which the precinct is located. Notice of appeal shall be filed with the registrar who denied registration, on the day of denial or by 5:00 p. m. on the day following the day of denial. The notice of appeal shall be in writing, signed by the appealing party, and shall set forth the name, age and address of the appealing party, and shall state the reasons for appeal. “Sec. S. Every registrar receiving a notice of appeal shall promptly file such notice with the county board of elections, and every person appealing to the county board of elections shall be entitled to a prompt and fair hearing on the question of such person’s right and qualifications to register as a voter. A majority of the members of the board shall be the decision of the board. All cases on appeal to a county board of elections shall be heard de novo, and the board is authorized to subpoena witnesses and to compel their attendance and testimony under oath, and is further authorized to subpoena papers and documents relevant to any matter pending before the board. If at the hearing the board shall find that the perso”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Lassiter v. Taylor · Mexican-American Federation-Washington State v. Naff