Commonwealth v. Shaffer’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “a procedural remedy which `may be altered, curtailed, or repealed at the will of the legislature' and therefore did not give rise to any vested interest.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Morency v. Com. · Com. v. Garrett

2. “Once licenses are issued, as in petitioner’s case, their continued possession may become essential in the pursuit of a livelihood. Suspension of issued licenses thus involves state action that adjudicates important interests of the licensees. In such cases the licenses are not to be taken away without that procedural due process required by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Payne

3. “Any person aggrieved by an order or act of the Commissioner requiring suspension or revocation of a license ... is entitled to judicial review____No appeal shall lie in any case in which the suspension or revocation of the license ... was mandatory except to determine the identity of the person concerned when the question of identity is in dispute.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Sayler v. Commonwealth