Davis v. Davis’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 2 district · 62 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 70 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[T]wo acts must occur for an action by a court to be deemed the granting of a judgment: the court must render a final order and the order must be entered on the docket by the clerk. These two required acts — rendition of a judgment by the court and entry of the judgment by the clerk — are discrete occurrences. Rendition of judgment is the judicial act by which the court settles and declares the decision of the law on the matters at issue. In other words, rendition is the court’s pronouncement, by spoken word or in open court by written order filed with the clerk, of its decision upon the matter submitted to it for adjudication. The second act required under Maryland law — the clerk’s entry of the judgment on the docket — is the purely ministerial act by means of which permanent evidence of the judicial act of rendering the judgment is made a record of the court. A judgment is therefore not granted until it is both properly rendered and entered.”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Heinlein v. Stefan · Scott v. Scott

2. “[T]he trial court’s ruling must be “an unqualified, final disposition of the matter in controversy.” Rohrbeck, 318 Md. at 41 , 566 A.2d at 773 ; see also Anthony v. Clark, 335 Md. 579 , 644 A.2d 1070 [ (1994) ]. There are, however, no formal requirements regarding the rendition of a judgment. See, e.g., United States v. Hark, 320 U.S. 531, 534 , 64 S.Ct. 359, 361, 88 L.Ed. 290, 292 (1944). As one court has observed, “[t]here are no hard and fast rules for determining what is a judgment.” Associated Press v. Taft-Ingalls Corp., 323 F.2d 114, 115 (6th Cir.1963). Rather, whether a judgment has been rendered in a particular case is an inquiry that must be made on a case-by-case basis and which focuses upon the actions and statements of the court. [Second alteration in original]”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Heinlein v. Stefan · 122 Md. App. 493 - Gwynn v. Oursler

3. “(a) Prompt Entry—Separate Document. Each judgment shall be set forth on a separate document. Upon a general verdict of a jury or upon a decision by the court allowing recovery only of costs or a specified amount of money or denying all relief, the clerk shall forthwith prepare, sign, and enter the judgment, unless the court orders otherwise. Upon a special verdict of a jury or upon a decision by the court granting other relief, the court shall promptly review the form of the judgment presented and, if approved, sign it, and the clerk shall forthwith enter the judgment as approved and signed. A judgment is effective only when so set forth and when entered as provided in section (b) of this Rule. Unless the court orders otherwise, entry of the judgment shall not be delayed pending determination of the amount of costs. (b) Method of Entry—Date of Judgment. The clerk shall enter a judgment by making a record of it in writing on the file jacket, or on a docket within the file, or in a docket book, according to the practice of each court, and shall record the actual date of the entry. That date shall be the date of the judgment. (c) Recording and Indexing. Promptly after entry, the clerk shall (1) record and index the judgment, except a judgment denying all relief without costs, in the judgment records of the court and (2) note on the docket the date the clerk sent copies of the judgment in accordance with Rule 1-524.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 133 Md. App. 64 - Newborn v. Newborn · Taha v. Southern Management Corporation