Hartman v. Meier’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"What, then, is the purpose of the Legislature in requiring that electors at bond elections must possess the added qualification of being `taxpayers of the municipality'? The mere ownership of property has long since ceased to be considered as a proper element in determining the general right of suffrage; a property owner is no more competent to judge of the suitability of a candidate for office, or the advisability of a public improvement, than any other person. Obviously the purpose of this act was to restrict the issuance of bonds to such issues as should be consented to by at least two-thirds of those who were to be primarily affected by the burden thereby imposed. Any other purpose would be unreasonable and absurd. Unless the ownership of property be considered only with reference to the burden imposed by the result of the election, it should not be considered at all. The Legislature, in adding this qualification, must have intended to require the submission of the question to those who would be peculiarly affected by the result of the election. An automobile owner who pays his registration fee is not so affected; the issuance of the bonds neither increases nor diminishes the amount of his license fee, and his automobile is not otherwise taxed. Nor is his privilege fee within the commonly accepted meaning of the word `tax,' nor is he a `taxpayer' in the commonly accepted meaning, as held in the decisions above mentioned."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Muench v. Paine