State v. Riffe’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “But the meaning of a law—a statute or a constitutional provision—cannot change until the text of that law changes. . . . '[O]ur constitution is deemed to mean what the words imply to a person's common understanding.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. State v. Younger · State v. Younger

2. “[H]umility—attendant as it is to the indeterminacy of language and the difficulties of the interpretive process—must be considered a third, equally important leg of the originalist stool.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Hilburn v. Enerpipe Ltd.

3. “If the issue was not raised below, there must be an explanation why the issue is properly before the court.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Hilburn v. Enerpipe Ltd.