In Re Phillips’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

40 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 40 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “We are guided by the established principle that all acts of the General Assembly are presumed to be constitutional. In applying this principle, we are required to resolve any reasonable doubt regarding the constitutionality of a statute in favor of its validity____[W]e will declare a statute null and void only when it is plainly repugnant to a state or federal constitutional provision.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 48 Va. App. 325 - McDonald v. Commonwealth · 48 Va. App. 16 - Gilman v. Commonwealth

2. ““It is undoubtedly true that a sound and wise policy should keep [the three branches] of the government as separate and distinct from each other as practicable. But it is equally true that experience has shown that no government could be administered where an absolute and unqualified adherence to that maxim was enforced. The universal construction of this maxim in practice has been that the whole power of one of these departments should not be exercised by the same hands which possess the whole power of either of the other departments, but that either department may exercise the powers of another to a limited extent.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 56 Va. App. 244 - Johnson v. Commonwealth

3. “remains vested solely in the Governor, who may grant or deny any request without explanation, and there is no right of appeal from the Governor's decision.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Howell v. McAuliffe