Nelson v. Bye’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

10 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 10 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““* * * In the absence of evidence of unfitness which would warrant severance of the parent-child relationship in the interest of the child’s welfare, the right of the natural parent who initially loses custody of a child as a result of a divorce decree should not be extinguished so as to prevent such parent from seeking custody in the event of death, subsequent divorce, or other changes in circumstances of the prevailing party.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Eggert v. Van De Weghe

2. “Consent shall not be required of a parent who has abandoned the child, or of a parent who has lost custody of the child through a divorce decree, and on whom notice has been served, as required”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Bond v. Carlson