Sheldon v. Sheldon’s Empirical Analysis
1980
Citation profile
19 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 19 later decisions — most recently November 2006
19 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 Osier v. Osier · Grishman v. Grishman · Randlett v. Randlett · Costigan v. Costigan · Cooley v. St. Andre's Child Placing Agency
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 19 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“As long as there is rational support for the decision, we will not overturn it. This does not mean we will affirm every child custody order .... Such decisions should only be made when the presiding justice, acting as a “wise, affectionate, and careful parent,” ... concludes after a thorough and careful review of the evidence before him that it is the best possible arrangement for the child. (Citations omitted).”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage“1. Disposition. In a proceeding: (a) for a divorce, (b) for legal separation, or (c) for disposition of property following dissolution of the marriage by a court which lacked personal jurisdiction over the absent spouse or lacked jurisdiction to dispose of said property, the court shall set apart to each spouse his property and shall divide the marital property in such proportions as the court deems just after considering all relevant factors, including: A.The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the marital property, including the contribution of a spouse as homemaker; B. The value of the property set apart to each spouse; and C. The economic circumstances of each spouse at the time the division of property is to become effective, including the desirability of awarding the family home or the right to live therein for reasonable periods to the spouse having custody of any children. 2. Definition. For purposes of this section only, “marital property” means all property acquired by either spouse subsequent to the marriage, except: A. Property acquired by gift, bequest, devise or descent; B. Property acquired in exchange for property acquired prior to the marriage or in exchange for property acquired by gift, bequest, devise or descent; C. Property acquired by a spouse after a decree of legal separation; D. Property excluded by valid agreement of the parties; and E. The increase in value of property acquired prior to the marriage.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Baker v. Baker
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.