Langerman v. Langerman’s Empirical Analysis
1983
Citation profile
22 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 22 later decisions — most recently April 2010
22 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.
Relationships
Relies on Santosky v. Kramer · Masek v. Masek · Blow v. Lottman · Kolb v. Kolb · Spaulding v. Spaulding
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 22 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“Before a parent's rights to custody over his or her own children will be disturbed in favor of a nonparent, a clear showing against the parent of gross misconduct or unfitness, or of other extraordinary circumstances affecting the welfare of the child is required, and an award cannot be made to grandparents simply because they may be better custodians. (Citing six other cases.)”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“A parent’s disqualification results not only from a lack of ability but also from an unwillingness or from an indifferent lack of desire, as well, to rear a child spiritually, morally, mentally and physically according to the minimum standard the law condones. Thus, unfitness would follow from voluntary conduct bearing on a parent’s cruelty, morals, extreme neglect, abandonment or any attitude or condition, created through marriage or otherwise, resulting in home surroundings below the minimum standards; and unfitness would also result from involuntary circumstances such as extreme poverty, physical or mental infirmity, or any other condition making it impossible for the parent to care for the child according to the minimum requirements.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Meldrum v. Novotny“Persons entitled to preference in custody of minors. Of two persons equally entitled to the custody in other respects, preference is to be given as follows: (1) To a parent; (2) To one who was indicated by the wishes of a deceased parent; (3) To one who already stands in the position of a trustee of a fund to be applied to the child's support; (4) To a relative.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Mayer v. Mayer
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.