340 So. 2d 26 - Putman v. Vath’s Empirical Analysis
1976
Citation profile
5 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently July 2017
5 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 Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for United States and Canada v. Milivojevich · Presbyterian Church in US v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church · Watson v. Jones · Gonzalez v. Roman Catholic Archbishop · Maryland and Virginia Eldership of Churches of God v. Church of God at Sharpsburg Inc
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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“"The facts in this matter leave no question in our minds that the dispute between [the priest and the bishop] is an ecclesiastical one. Such disputes cannot be resolved in the courts of this state. Harris v. Cosby , 173 Ala. 81 , 55 So. 231 (1911) ; Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church v. Patrick , 252 Ala. 672 , 42 So.2d 617 (1949). "The latter case involved a factional dispute within the church which resulted in two members being ousted from membership without notice. One of them was deposed from any official connection in the church and filed suit seeking reinstatement to the church office he had held. This court held that the civil courts would not intervene in the dispute, noting: " 'We think the court would be treading on most dangerous ground and invading a sanctuary not set apart for its jurisdiction if it should permit dissident minorities, believing themselves to have been improperly excluded because of the procedure by which they were exscinded, to invoke its power to determine such a factional dispute. ...' 252 Ala. at 674 , 42 So.2d at 619 . "Likewise, in Hundley v. Collins , 131 Ala. 234 , 32 So. 575 (1901), this court affirmed the trial court in its refusal to entertain a suit whereby the plaintiff sought reinstatement to the Christian Church of Huntsville, from which the General Assembly of the church had suspended him without notice and a hearing. There, the court said: " '... Admitting ... that petitioner had no notice of this proceeding, and that it was irreg”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage“"The civil courts will not take jurisdiction of a controversy arising out of the removal of a minister if the right to the position is merely spiritual or ecclesiastical. But if he has a civil or property right in his position, the civil courts will protect that right. But if there is such right in the minister, which will give the courts jurisdiction, it is well settled that his removal by the appropriate church tribunal is conclusive upon the courts, if there is no violation of contractual right."”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage
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.