Butler v. Perry’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

74 federal appellate · 40 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 268 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “to cover those forms of compulsory labor akin to African slavery which in practical operation would tend to produce like undesirable results.”

   19 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Steinert v. Winn Group, Inc. · United States v. Stephens

2. “"`That all male persons of the age of twenty-one years, and not exceeding fifty, who have resided thirty days in any township of any county within this territory, who are not a township charge, shall over and above the rate of assessment hereinafter mentioned, be liable, yearly and every year, to do and perform two days work on the public roads, under the direction of the supervisor within whose limits they shall be respectively residents.' (Sec. 10, Chapter 28 of Northwest Territory Acts, 1799)." (Quoted in Butler v. Perry, 240 U.S. 328, 332 , 36 S.Ct. 258, 259 , 60 L.Ed. 672 (1916)).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Emery v. State

3. “In view of ancient usage and unanimity of judicial opinion, it must be taken as settled that, unless restrained by some constitutional limitation, a state has inherent power to require every able-bodied man within its jurisdiction to labor for a reasonable time on public roads near his residence without direct compensation. This is a part of the duty which he owes to the public. (Emphasis added.) 240 U.S. at 330 , 36 S.Ct. at 258 .)”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Bobilin v. Board of Education, State of Hawaii