Blackley v. Blackley’s Empirical Analysis
1974
Citation profile
122 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 122 later decisions — most recently May 2018 · most notably Pulliam v. Smith (1998), Shipman v. Shipman (2003)
122 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Crosby v. Crosby · Williams v. Williams · Swicegood v. Swicegood · Hinkle v. Hinkle · Griffin v. Griffin
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 122 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[T]he modification of a custody decree must be supported by findings of fact based on competent evidence that there has been a substantial change of circumstances affecting the welfare of the child, and the party moving for such modification assumes the burden of showing such change of circumstances.”
6 later decisions quote this exact passage““The welfare of the child is the paramount consideration which must guide the Court in exercising this discretion. Thus, the trial judge’s concern is to place the child in an environment which will best promote the full development of his physical, mental, moral and spiritual faculties. . .”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“An order pertaining to the custody of the child does not finally determine the rights of parties as to the custody, care and control of a child, and when a substantial change of condition affecting the child’s welfare is properly established, the court may modify prior custody decrees. G.S. 50-13.7. Blackley v. Blackley, [ 285 N.C. 358 , 204 S.E. 2d 678 (1974)]; Teague v. Teague, 272 N.C. 134 , 157 S.E. 2d 649 (1967); In re Herring, 268 N.C. 434 , 150 S.E. 2d 775 (1966). However, the modification of a custody decree must be supported by findings of fact based on competent evidence that there has been a substantial change in circumstances affecting the welfare of the child, and the party moving for such modification has the burden of showing such change of circumstances. Blackley v. Blackley, supra; Shepherd v. Shepherd, 273 N.C. 71 , 159 S.E. 2d 357 (1968); Crosby v. Crosby, 272 N.C. 235 , 158 S.E. 2d 77 (1967).”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.