Luzerne County v. Morgan’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

25 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 26 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““If the Act of 1887, as amended, is unconstitutional, it is so only because it is legislation ‘clearly, palpably, plainly’ prohibited by the Constitution. Where is such prohibition of it to be found in that instrument? We have heretofore held, and now repeat, that it is not to be found. The legislature may do whatever it is not forbidden to do by the Federal or State Constitutions. . . . There are, however, no words in that instrument prohibiting the legislature from appointing, as the suitable agent of the Commonwealth for the collection of revenues due it, and paying him for his services, one who, for the time being, may be a county officer, but who, as the agent of the Commonwealth, will render service to it alone, separate and distinct from any duty imposed upon him as a county official. Only under a misconstruction of the Constitution could this appeal be sustained.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Romberger v. Dauphin County