Blackstone v. Sharma’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

63 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 63 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[t]his Court may also analyze the statute's 'relationship to earlier and subsequent legislation, and other material that fairly bears on the fundamental issue of legislative purpose or goal, which becomes the context within which we read the particular language before us in a given case.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. The Town of Forest Heights v. The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission · 242 Md. App. 1 - David A. v. Karen S.

2. “[w]e assume that the legislature's intent is expressed in the statutory language and thus our statutory interpretation focuses primarily on the language of the statute to determine the purpose and intent of the General Assembly.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 242 Md. App. 1 - David A. v. Karen S.

3. “consider the consequences resulting from one meaning rather than another, and adopt that construction which avoids an illogical or unreasonable result, or one which is inconsistent with common sense.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 242 Md. App. 1 - David A. v. Karen S.