Cheeks v. Cedlair Corp.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

76 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 84 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““[A] charter amendment within the context of Art. XI-A is necessarily limited in substance to amending the form or structure of government initially established by adoption of the charter. A charter amendment, therefore, differs in its fundamental character from a simple legislative enactment. Its content cannot transcend its limited office and be made to serve or function as a vehicle though which to adopt local legislation.””

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 236 Md. App. 139 - Atkinson v. Anne Arundel Cnty. · Save Our Streets v. Mitchell

2. “" 'The powers of referendum and initiative, though each may affect the form or structure of local government, are otherwise distinctly different. Under the referendum power, the elective legislative body, consistent with § 3, continues to be the primary legislative organ, for it has formulated and approved the legislative enactment referred to the people. The exercise of the legislative initiative power, however, completely circumvents the legislative body, thereby totally undermining its status as the primary legislative organ.’ ””

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Save Our Streets v. Mitchell · Board of Supervisors of Elections v. Smallwood

3. ““A charter ... is the organic, the fundamental law, establishing basic principles governing relationships between the government and the people.””

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 236 Md. App. 139 - Atkinson v. Anne Arundel Cnty. · Save Our Streets v. Mitchell