Searight v. Stokes’s Empirical Analysis
44 U.S. 151 · 1845
Citation profile
17 federal appellate · 8 district · 15 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 65 later decisions (8 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 2026 · most notably In re Debs (1895), Buck v. Kuykendall (1925)
17 federal appellate · 8 district · 15 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.
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 65 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““The United States have unquestionably a property in the mails. They are not mere common carriers, hut a government, performing a high official duty in holding and guarding its own property as well as that of its citizens committed to its care; for a.very large portion of the letters and packages conveyed on this road, especially during the session of Congress, consists of communications to or from the officers of the executive department, or members of the Legislature, on public service or in relation to matter of public concern.””
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. In re Debs · United States v. Debs“that no toll shall be received or collected for the passage of any wagon or carriage laden with the property of the United States;”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. In re Debs“laden with the property of the United States,”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. In re Debs
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.