Henson v. Henson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Courts, though they be possessed of the reputed wisdom of Solomon, are conscious of their human fallibility, and the law recognizes that man is without that fore-vision which ensures that his judgment of today will, in light of unforeseen new conditions, prove to be adequate or even proper tomorrow. So, ... the unfortunate disagreements and quarrels of the parties arising from the father’s efforts to exercise the rights of visitation ... not only prevented the father from enjoying his child, but, more importantly, the child herself was thereby denied the experience of a favorable association with her own father. If that which was intended to be accorded the child is being denied her, that circumstance of itself was sufficient for the court to interpose its authority and, by modification of the original decree, prescribe what must be done to preserve the child’s right.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Russell v. Russell

2. ““Courts, though they be possessed of the reputed wisdom of Solomon, are conscious of their human fallibility, and the law recognizes that man is without that fore-vision which ensures that his judgment of today will, in light of unforeseen new conditions, prove to be adequate or even proper tomorrow.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Rowan v. Rowan

3. “'prime if not sole judicial objective * * * is to serve the best interests of the child”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Selvey v. Selvey