Wilson v. Mitchell’s Empirical Analysis
1910
Citation profile
83 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 84 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently November 2014 · most notably Gratiot County State Bank v. Johnson ex rel. St. Louis Chemical Co. (1919), Rediker v. Rediker (1950)
83 state decisions — followed in 19 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
Relies on Mercein v. People ex rel. Barry · Chapsky v. Wood · Miller v. Wallace · In re Neff · Schammel v. Schammel
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 84 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“the poor should beget the children and the rich should rear them.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. In Re Dis · Sidman v. Sidman““We are firmly of the opinion that in all cases of this character the presumption is, that the parents are fit and suitable persons to be entrusted with the care of their minor children, and that the interests and welfare of such children are best subserved when under such care and control; that such presumption is like unto the presumption of innocence in a criminal case, ever present, throughout the controversy, until overcome by the most solid and substantial reasons established by plain and certain proofs. Indeed, this presumption is essential to the maintenance of society, for without it, man would be denaturalized, the ties of family broken, the instincts of humanity stifled, and one of the strongest incentives to the propagation and continuance of the humaii race destroyed.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority““Notwithstanding a divorce decree awarding the care and custody of minor children to one of the parents, upon the death of such parent, the other parent becomes entitled to the custody of such children, unless in a contest therefor it be shown that such parent is disqualified, or the interests-of the children require some other disposition of their persons.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.