In Re Jones’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““If the spouse of the petitioner is the legitimate parent of the child . . . then the consent of the other legitimate parent is not necessary if the first and second or the first and third conditions exist: “(1) The spouse of the petitioner . [has] been granted custody of the child by a court of competent jurisdiction and “(2) The other legitimate parent has refused or failed to comply with a court order of support for a period of one year or “(3) The other legitimate parent is a nonresident of this state and has failed to support the child for a period of one year after judgment awarding custody to the mother or father . .”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Stevenson v. Jenkins · Blackwood v. Yount

2. ““We agree ... that the provision of the statute dealing with support could only mean that consent is dispensed with when the failure to comply with the order of the court is without just cause. The Legislature never intended by this provision to dispense with consent where the legitimate parent shows that his failure to comply with the court order for support was for reasons beyond his control. It intended that consent be dispensed with only where the parent refuses to comply with the order or fails to comply with the order without justification.... Whether a legitimate parent has failed or refused to comply with an order of support so that consent is not required for adoption will, of course, have to depend on the facts of each case. If a parent has arbitrarily and without just cause refused to pay any sum whatever, no problem is presented. Also, if the payments have been insignificant when compared with the amount ordered by the court to be paid and the parent cannot show that the failure to pay has been with just cause and therefore excusable, the order to support has not been complied with and consent is not required.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 427 So. 2d 482 - Blackburn v. Barrios