Langston v. Hunt’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The present rule simply stated is that a testator cannot give an estate in fee simple by clear and concise language and subsequently diminish or destroy the devise by use of other language. In other words, once the fee is given to a person or class of persons or other devisee, it cannot be thereafter taken away or diminished unless the terms are clear, unequivocal, and demonstrate the intent to limit the prior devise.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Sterner v. Nelson · Festinger v. Kantor

2. “`I give to my beloved wife, Ethel Deliah Jones, all of my property, both real and personal, of every kind and character, wherever situated.... At the death of my said wife ... I desire that all of my property of which she dies seized of shall be divided among her nearest relatives and my nearest relatives, share and share alike.'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Sterner v. Nelson