McNair v. Knott’s Empirical Analysis
302 U.S. 369 · 1937
Citation profile
42 federal appellate · 3 district · 26 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 109 later decisions (2 by the Supreme Court) — most recently April 2013 · most notably Wilson v. Cook (1946), 28 Wash. App. 319 - In Re the Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus of Santore (1981)
42 federal appellate · 3 district · 26 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.
Appellate journey
reviewedRoss v. Knott (from Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals)
Relationships
Applies 12 U.S.C. § 90
Relies on Louisville & Nashville Railroad v. Mottley · Ewell v. Daggs · Texas Pac Ry Co v. Pottorff · Lewis v. Fidelity & Deposit Co. · Galveston Railroad v. Cowdrey
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 109 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“There is nothing novel or extraordinary in the passage of laws by the Federal Government and the States ratifying, confirming, validating, or curing defective contracts. Such statutes, usually designated as 'remedial,' 'curative,' or 'enabling,' merely remove legal obstacles and permit parties to carry out their contracts according to their own desires and intentions. Such statutes have validated transactions that were previously illegal relating to mortgages, deeds, bonds, and other contracts. Placing the stamp of legality on a contract voluntarily and fairly entered into by parties for their mutual advantage takes nothing away from either of them. No party who has made an illegal contract has a right to insist that it remain permanently illegal. Public policy cannot be made static by those who, for reasons of their own, make contracts beyond their legal powers. No person has a vested right to be permitted to evade contracts which he has illegally made.”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““One of the chief reasons for the enactment of the amendment was the need for validation of pledges already made. The amendment was designed to meet this need. To determine that Congress did not intend to validate pledge agreements existing when the amendment was passed would greatly limit its curative effect. Such a construction would be an unwarranted departure from the plain intent of this curative and enabling statute.””
1 later decision 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.