Vaughn v. Gunter’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

22 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 24 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “When a minor child is adopted in accordance with the provisions of this article, all legal relationships and all rights and duties between such child and its natural parents shall cease and determine, and such child shall thereafter be deemed and held to be for every purpose a child of its parent or parents by adoption as fully as though naturally bom to them in lawful wedlock ...”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Sharp v. Broadway National Bank

2. “Nothing herein shall prevent anyone from disposing of his property by will according to law. Such adopted child shall be regarded as a child of the parent or parents by adoption for all purposes as well, except that where a deed, will or other instrument uses words clearly intended to exclude children by adoption, such adopted child shall not be included in such class.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Sharp v. Broadway National Bank

3. “Before 1951, the general rule in Texas was that an adopted child was not entitled to property conveyed or devised to the natural children of the adoptive parent unless the intent to include was indicated by additional language or circumstances. This presumption changed by the passage of the 1951 amendment to the adoption statutes.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hagaman v. Morgan