Rowan v. Runnels’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 federal appellate · 2 district · 10 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 73 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Undoubtedly this court will always feel itself bound to respect the decisions of the state courts, and, from the time they are made, regard them as conclusive in all cases upon the construction of their own laws. But we ought not to give them a retroactive effect, and allow them to render invalid contracts entered into with citizens of other states which, in the judgment of this court, were lawfully made. * * * The true rule is to give a change of judicial construction in respect to a statute the same effect in its operation on contracts and existing contract rights that would be given to a legislative amendment; that is to say, make it prospective, but not retroactive. After a statute has been settled by judicial construction, the construction becomes, so far as contract rights acquired under it are concerned, as much a part of the statute as the text itself, and a change of decision is to all intents and purposes the same in its effect on contracts as an.amendment of the law by means of a legislative enactment.””

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Douglass v. County of Pike · Loeb v. Trustees of Columbia Tp.

2. ““But we ought not to give them [state decisions] a retroactive effect, and allow, them to render invalid contracts entered into with citizens of other states, which in the judgment of this court were lawfully made. If such rule were adopted and the comity due to state decisions pushed to this extent, it is evident that the provision in the Constitution of the United States, which secures to the citizens of another state the right to sue in the courts of the United States, might become useless and nugatory.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Board of Com'rs v. Tome

3. “[T]his court will always feel itself bound to respect the decisions of the State courts, and from the time they are made will regard them as conclusive in all cases upon the construction of their own constitution and laws.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore