Jones v. Reed’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 district · 29 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 37 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““As the fallacy of a proposition can best be shown by distorting it, we may presume that if' one of the departments of the state government can be suspended at the instance of a private citizen, who has nothing more than a community interest in a matter which concerns the general public, that every department of the state can be suspended at the same time, and the whole machinery of the government stopped, and the very existence of the state, so far as the exercise of its functions are concerned, destroyed. Surely such a theory of practice is not in harmony with the genius of our government, nor will authority sanction, or public policy permit, the adoption of a rule which will authorize any number of volunteers who may, rightfully or wrongfully, interpret the laws different from the interpretation put upon them by the officers of the state, to paralyze for a time every or any branch of the state government. It seems to us that there is a difference in principle, and there might be a very great difference in results; and probable results are what the policy of the law is based upon. To prevent just such results, and to protect the interests of the public, the statute has provided for the election by the taxpayers of an officer — the attorney general- — who is especially clothed with authority to institute proceedings of this kind.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State ex rel. Pierce County v. Superior Court

2. ““The county is a quasi corporation; the state is a sovereignty. The county only possesses such powers as the' Legislature of the state confers upon it. Its revenue, its property, its very existence, depend upon statutory enactment. It can be enlarged, dismembered or annihilated at the will of the state. The state, on the contrary, has all the powers not relinquished to the general government by the articles of . federation, and subject to these relinquishments, its sovereignty is supreme. One of the necessary attributes of sovereignty is the protection of the sovereign power and the maintenance of the state organization.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Asplund v. Hannett

3. ““This court, untrammeled by precedent or authority in laying down a policy for this state, deems it safer to relegate the instituting of suits involving the disposition of the revenue of the state, where no private interests are involved, to the judgment and discretion of the Attorney General.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Hartley v. Clausen