Mt Vernon-Woodberry Cotton Duck Company v. Alabama Interstate Power Company’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

15 federal appellate · 4 district · 60 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 138 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The principal argument presented that is open here, is that the purpose of the condemnation is not a public one. The purpose of the Power Company’s incorporation, and that for which it seeks to condemn property of the plaintiff in error, is to manufacture, supply, and sell to the public, power produced by water as a motive force. . . . We perceive no ground for the distinction attempted between the taking of rights below the contemplated dam, such as these are, and those above. Compensation is provided for according to rules that the court below declares to be well settled and that appear to be adequate. . . .” (Emphasis supplied.)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 280 So. 2d 254 - Southwestern Electric Power Co. v. Conger

2. ““In the organic relations of modern society it may sometimes be hard to draw the line that is supposed to limit the authority of the Legislature to exercise or delegate the power of eminent domain. But to gather the streams from waste and to draw from them energy, labor without brains, and so to save mankind from toil that it can be spared, is to supply ■what, next to intellect, is the very foundation of all our achievements and all our welfare. If that purpose is not public we should be at a loss to say what is. The inadequacy of use by the general public as a universal test is established.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Harvey v. Warren