Wissner v. Wissner’s Empirical Analysis
338 U.S. 655 · 1950
Citation profile
110 federal appellate · 18 district · 282 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 608 later decisions (48 by the Supreme Court) — most recently March 2024 · most notably McCarty v. McCarty (1981), Hisquierdo v. Hisquierdo (1979)
110 federal appellate · 18 district · 282 state decisions — followed in 32 states
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
Applies 28 U.S.C. § 1257
Relies on M'Culloch v. State of Maryland · Lynch v. United States · Norman v. Baltimore & or · W. B. Worthen Co. v. Thomas
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 608 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“(a) The insured shall have the right to designate the beneficiary or beneficiaries of insurance maturing on or after August 1, 1946, and shall, subject to regulations, at all times have the right to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such insurance without the consent of such beneficiary or beneficiaries.”
29 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“Possession of government insurance, payable to the relative of his choice, might well directly enhance the morale of the serviceman. The exemption provision is his guarantee of the complete and full performance of the contract to the exclusion of conflicting claims. The end is a legitimate one within the congressional powers over national defense, and the means are adapted to the chosen end.”
6 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““We recognize that some courts have ruled that this and similar exemptions relating to pensions and veterans’ relief do not apply when alimony or the support of wife or children is in issue.””
6 later decisions 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.