Cannon v. Miller’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. “A judge of our State must understand that the legal requirement of supplying reasons is a matter of judicial ethics as well as a matter of law. In Walsh v. Hotel Corporation of America, Del.Supr., 231 A.2d 458, 460 (1967), this Court specifically noted the then governing Canon of Judicial Ethics No. 19. That Canon read in pertinent part: “In disposing of controverted cases, a judge should indicate the reasons for his action in an opinion showing that he has not disregarded or overlooked serious arguments of counsel. He thus shows his full understanding of the case, avoids the suspicion of arbitrary conclusion, promotes confidence in his intellectual integrity and may contribute useful precedent to the growth of the law.” While the current canons contained in The Delaware Judges’ Code of Judicial Conduct purposely adopt the broader and more general approach now recommended by the American Bar Association, this Court made it specifically clear that “it is part of a trial judge’s adjudicative responsibilities ‘to state the reasons for his action, no matter how briefly.’ ” Ademski v. Ruth, supra. Canon 3 requires that a judge be “faithful to the law and maintain professional competence”. The supplying of reasons for a judicial decision is part of “established law of this State” and also a required incident of the “[maintenance of] professional competence”.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Holden v. State · Bet, Inc. v. Bd. of Adjust. of Sussex Cty.