United States v. Mills’s Empirical Analysis
32 U.S. 138 · 1833
Citation profile
32 federal appellate · 22 district · 16 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 111 later decisions (19 by the Supreme Court) — most recently August 2018 · most notably Russell v. United States (1962), United States v. Dotterweich (1943)
32 federal appellate · 22 district · 16 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.
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 111 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“the general rule is that in indictments for misdemeanors created by statute, it.is sufficient to charge the offence in the words of the statute. There is not that technical nicety required as to form which seems to have been adopted and sanctioned by long practice in cases of felony, and with respect to some crimes, where particular words must be used, and no other words, however synonymous they may seem, can be substituted. But in all eases the offence must be set forth with clearness, and all necessary certainty to apprise the accused of the crime with which he stands charged.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““Sec. 21. If any person employed in any of the departments of the post office establishment, shall unlawfully * * * secrete, embezzle, or destroy, any letter, packet, bag, or mail of letters, with which he or she shall be intrusted, or which shall have come to his or her possession, * * * every such offender being thereof duly convicted, shall, for every such offense, be fined, * * * or imprisoned, * * * or both.” “Sec. 24. Every person who, from and after the passage of this act, shall procure, and advise, or assist, in the doing or perpetration of any of the acts or crimes by this act forbidden, shall be subject to the same penalties and punishments as the persons are subject to,, who shall actually do or perpetrate any of the said acts or crimes, according to the provisions of this act.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority““The. fifth instruction turns upon a doctrine applicable to principal and accessory in cases of felony, either at the common law or by statute. The present is the case of a misdemeanor, and the doctrine therefore cannot be applied to it; for in cases of misdemeanor all those who are concerned in aiding and abetting, as well as in perpetrating the act. are principals. Under such circumstances, there is no room for the question of actual or constructive presence or absence; for, whether present or absent, all are principals. They may be indicted and punished accordingly. Nor is the trial or conviction of an actor indispensable to furnish a right to try the person who aids or abets the act. Each in the eye of the law is deemed guilty as a principal.””
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.