Bell v. Southwell’s Empirical Analysis
376 F.2d 659 · 1967
Citation profile
48 federal appellate · 5 district · 9 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 100 later decisions — most recently March 2025 · most notably Griffin v. Burns (1978), United States v. McLeod (1967)
48 federal appellate · 5 district · 9 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 Reynolds v. Sims · Swain v. State of Alabama · Illinois Power Co. v. Local Union No. 51, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers · Whitus v. State of Georgia Whitus · Avery v. State of Georgia
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 100 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“(d)rastic, if not staggering . . . and therefore a form of relief to be guardedly exercised.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““Mrs Bell and her co-plaintiffs alone or as members of the class did not challenge the eligibility of Mr. South-well or the fact that he received an overwhelming majority. Indeed, Mrs. Bell as a former candidate did not seek to be selected over Southwell or any other opponent. What, and all, she and others sought was an election conducted free of such indefensible, racial distinctions. That being so, it was not the usual simple case of counting votes and denying relief for want of affirmative proof of a different result.” Bell, supra, 376 F.2d at 664-665 .”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“In this vital area of vindication of precious constitutional rights, we are unfettered by the negative or affirmative character of the words used or the negative or affirmative form in which the coercive order is case. If affirmative relief is essential, the Court has the power and should employ it.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. No. 89-1171
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.