McKnight v. Civiletti’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. “Here, I am persuaded that McKnight’s suit is in effect one against the United States. McKnight seeks a declaration that the defendants’ conduct was unconstitutional; injunctive relief prohibiting future violations of his rights; and damages. The defendants personally had no involvement with the incidents of which McKnight complains, and it is clear that if the present defendants left office, McKnight would have to continue his suit against their successors, and that he would look to the United States to satisfy any judgment entered. In short, the defendants are named in their capacity as representatives of the United States, Monell [v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658 , 98 S.Ct. 2018 , 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978)], and therefore the doctrine of sovereign immunity is at issue. .... Nor is the barrier to McKnight’s suit posed by sovereign immunity lessened by the fact that in part he seeks prospective equitable relief. Although, for purposes of Eleventh Amendment immunity in suits against the states, a claimant is not barred to the extent that he seeks equitable relief as opposed to damages, Quern v. Jordan, 440 U.S. 332 , 99 S.Ct. 1139 , 59 L.Ed.2d 358 (1979), in a suit against the United States, under the common law doctrine of sovereign immunity, “unless sovereign immunity has been waived, it bars equitable as well as legal remedies against the United States.” Jaffee, supra, 592 F.2d at 717 n. 10. McKnight has not cited any statutory provisions in which the United State”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 553 F. Supp. 904 - McKnight v. Civiletti