Pfile v. Corcoran’s Empirical Analysis
1968
Citation profile
14 federal appellate · 5 district ·
How this case has been cited
Cited by 32 later decisions — most recently February 2003 · most notably Lundgrin v. Claytor (1980), Nicholas J. Larionoff, Jr. v. The United States of America, Nicholas J. Larionoff, Jr. v. The United States of America (1976)
14 federal appellate · 5 district ·
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
Applies 10 U.S.C. § 673A · 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996)
Relies on Home Building & Loan Ass'n v. Blaisdell · Lynch v. United States · Ogden v. Saunders · City of El Paso v. Simmons · Perry v. United States
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 32 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““ * * * The present statute can be regarded as falling within .the ‘wide discretion’ which Congress possesses in the exercise of its powers ‘to declare war,’ (Const., Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 11), ‘to raise and support armies,’ (Const., Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 12), and ‘to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces’ (Const., Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 14). These are collectively known as the War Powers, and the statute appears validly applicable to petitioner, even if it contravenes his enlistment contract. It is unnecessary ,to determine whether the present conflict is a state of war. It is sufficient to note that the condition is scarcely a state of peace, and that the action of Congress is in the interests of the national security. Finally, we are constrained to hold that a contract such as the present one always stands in the shadow of the exercise by Congress of positive paramount sovereign powers. “It is concluded that petitioner’s contract is subject to 10 U.S.C. Section 673a; that the statute is valid as applied to him; and that the petition is without merit. The Order to Show Cause is discharged and the cause of action is dismissed.””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“Commencing with the sentence "In connection with my enlistment as a Reserve of the Army for service in the Army Reserve, THIS DATE, I hereby agree to and understand that — ,” the Statement of Acknowledgment delineates the basic terms of petitioner’s enlistment, laying out the duties and obligations of the enlisting reservist. The general physical appearance of the document would also reasonably lead one to conclude that it constituted the enlistment agreement. The attention of the Court has not been directed to any other document which could more reasonably be regarded as the enlistment contract. * * * The more specific and comprehensive language of the Statement of Acknowledgment, as well as the comparative physical appearance of the Statement and the oath make it far more reasonable to conclude, and to rely on such conclusion, that the specific, detailed Statement of Acknowledgment constituted the enlistment contract, rather than the brief, more general oath. We hold, therefore, that to the extent that petitioner’s enlistment is governed by contract terms, the Statement of Acknowledgment constituted that contract. (287 F.Supp.557) (Emphasis supplied.)”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““Both the enlistment contract and the Statement of Understanding contemplate that the obligations which the en listed man undertakes include not only additional active duty imposed in a national emergency or in time of war but also additional active duty ‘otherwise prescribed by law’ or ‘as the law may require.’ Neither the enlistment contract nor the Statement, of Understanding says in so many words that it means duty prescribed by law whether already enacted or hereafter passed, but. that is the evident and necessary meaning of any language so used in such instruments. Were such instruments construed otherwise they would in effect fetter and embarrass the power of the President and Secretary of Defense to adopt uniform and practical regulations for the administration of the armed forces and the Ready Reserve, and could indeed operate as a fetter upon Congress itself, which would have to take action in contemplation of the existence of a large number of such agreements in force at any one time, and which it would be only appropriate, even if not necessary, that Congress should consider in enacting new law.””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.