Sullivan v. Murphy’s Empirical Analysis
478 F.2d 938 · 1973
Citation profile
153 federal appellate · 46 district · 44 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 334 later decisions (4 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 2019 · most notably Davis v. Passman (1979), Pernell v. Southall Realty (1974)
153 federal appellate · 46 district · 44 state decisions — followed in 16 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Applies 28 U.S.C. § 1292 · 28 U.S.C. § 1331 · 28 U.S.C. § 1332 (Class Action Fairness Act of 2005) · 28 U.S.C. § 1343 · 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996) · 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996) · 28 U.S.C. § 2283 · 28 U.S.C. § 534 (National Law)
Relies on Terry v. Ohio · Erie Co v. Tompkins · United Mine Workers of America v. Gibbs · Wong Sun v. United States · Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics
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 334 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“have the inherent, equitable power to expunge arrest records ... 'when that remedy is necessary and appropriate in order to preserve basic legal rights.'”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“The authorities were confronted on May 3 with the need to prevent any build-up of large numbers of persons at the focal points of the demonstration. There was a danger that the police ranks would themselves be overwhelmed. There was also the possibility that crowds of people would, by the mere fact of their presence, thwart efforts to keep the highways open. The police responded to the situation by making mass arrests. In so doing, however, they swept up innocent persons along with the lawbreakers. The Washington Star quoted Assistant Police Chief Hughes as saying: “We had them . . . and we had to do something right away. Someone can judge the rightness of it later.” This is, of course, not evidence as such, but it vividly summarizes the situation fairly apprehended from the record. The pivotal moment was'6:23 a. m., when Police Chief Jerry Wilson issued an order suspending normal field arrest procedures. According to Chief Wilson’s sworn testimony in another action, incorporated into the record of this case, his decision was motivated by reports that demonstrators were in the process of damaging automobiles and blocking traffic at a number of locations. He also testified as to his apprehension of “serious property damage or death or serious injury to innocent persons if the city were closed or if the demonstrators should decide to do something more than simply block traffic, as, for example, loot or engage in acts of thrashing or arson,” and his conclusion that “it is not pr”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Apton v. Wilson“It may well be that the abstention doctrine is rooted in federalism interests which — with all their historic underpinnings, the tension between federal powers and state sovereignty, and the concern for local political autonomy — make the abstention doctrine inapposite in the unique District. It may be that, in defining the relationship between the local and Federal courts within the District, cases articulating the doctrine of abstention in the context of a Federal-state relationship are instructive, but not necessarily controlling. On the other hand it may be that, in enacting the District of Columbia Court Reorganization Act of 1970, Congress intended a relationship between the Federal courts and the local statutory courts to be patterned in full measure on the relationship between Federal and state tribunals in other parts of the country.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Spivey v. Barry
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.