Rickhoff v. Willing’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. “The relevant inquiry in determining that the state judicial proceeding was “ongoing” for purposes of Younger abstention is whether the state proceeding was pending at the time the federal action was instituted. See Pennzoil v. Texaco, 481 U.S. 1, 17 , 107 S.Ct. 1519 , 95 L.Ed.2d 1 (1987). It is clear from the record that the Commission was still investigating the alleged Canon violation at the time Rickhoff filed his federal claims against the Commission. Notably, the Commission’s proceedings were still pending at the time the district court determined the Younger abstention because Rickhoff had yet to accept the tentative sanction proposed by the Commission. Thus, the state judicial proceedings were “ongoing,” thereby satisfying the first prong of Younger.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. All American Check Cashing, Inc. v. Corley