Ciani v. MacGrath’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

13 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 13 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Ordinarily, where the language of a statute is plain and unambiguous, it is conclusive as to legislative intent. * That said, we will not adopt a literal construction of a statute if the consequences of doing so are absurd or unreasonable, such that it could not be what the Legislature intended”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Wassilie · Meyer v. Veolia Energy North America

2. “(citation omitted). Sharris v. Commonwealth , 480 Mass. 586 , 594, 106 N.E.3d 661 (2018).”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Wassilie · RCA Dev., Inc. v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Brockton

3. “We interpret a statute according to the intent of the Legislature, which we ascertain from all the statute's words, construed by the ordinary and approved usage of the language”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 101 Mass. App. Ct. 466 - BRAYTON POINT ENERGY, LLC v. BOARD OF ASSESSORS OF SOMERSET.