Rourke v. Rothman’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Any increase in area, frontage, width, yard, or depth requirements of a zoning ordinance or by-law shall not apply to a lot for single and two-family residential use which at the time of recording or endorsement, whichever occurs sooner was not held in common ownership with any adjoining land, conformed to then existing requirements and had less than the proposed requirement but at least five thousand square feet of area and fifty feet of frontage” (emphasis supplied).”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 84 Mass. App. Ct. 151 - Timperio v. Zoning Board of Appeals · 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1112 - O'Connor v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Dennis

2. “"shall not apply for a period of five years from its effective date or for five years after January first, nineteen hundred and seventy-six, whichever is later ... provided ... such lot was held in common ownership with any adjoining land and conformed to the existing zoning requirements as of January first, nineteen hundred and seventy six ...." 9”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1112 - O'Connor v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Dennis

3. “to protect landowners' expectations of being able to build on once-valid lots.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1112 - O'Connor v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Dennis