Beard v. Knox’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 3 district · 24 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 32 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ ‘The deceased,’ said the court, ‘had no authority to dispose of but one-half of the property; this he might do to whomsoever he pleased.’ That case was decided in July, 1855, and the decision has never been questioned. It has furnished a rule under which property of vast amount and value has been distributed. We have no doubt of its correctness, and we only affirm and follow it in holding, as we do in the present case, that the plaintiff took one undivided half of the common property in her own right by virtue of the community existing between herself and husband, and that the remaining half was subject to his testamentary disposition.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Robbins v. United States

2. ““The husband and wife, during coverture, are jointly seised of the property, -with a half interest remaining over to the wife, subject only to the husband’s ■ disposal during their joint lives. This is a present, definite, and certain interest, which becomes absolute at his death.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Robbins v. United States