Fair v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

28 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 28 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[t]he cardinal rule of statutory construction [, which] is to seek the intent of the Legislature [. In so doing,] language in one part of a statute must be construed in the light of the legislative intent as found in the statute as a whole ... [, and] we must first focus on the statute’s text. In order to discern the meaning of the words of a statute, we must look at the context in which the statute was written, remembering at all times that the meaning of a sentence may be more than that of the separate words. In addition, [when] interpreting a statute, we must presume that the General Assembly had full knowledge of the existing state of the law and enacted the statute with reference to it. We construe statutes in connection and in harmony with the existing law, and as a part of a general and uniform system of jurisprudence, and their meaning and effect is to be determined in connection, not only with the common law and the constitution, but also with reference to other statutes and decisions of the courts. 5”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 339 Ga. App. 628 - State v. T. M. H.