Hill v. Higdon’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

31 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 33 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It is our duty to give such a construction to the constitution as will make it consistent with itself, and will harmonize and give effect to all its provisions. To do this, we have only to suppose, that the convention used language with reference to its popular and received signification; and applied it as it had been practically applied for a long series of years. That where taxation is spoken of in the second section of the twelfth article reference is made to the general burdens imposed for the purpose of supporting the government, and the revenue raised expended for the equal benefit of the public at large; while the power of assessment, referred to in the sixth section of the thirteenth article, although resting upon the taxing power, was intended to describe a distinct and well known mode of laying a local burden upon particular property, with reference to the peculiar and special benefit derived to such property from the expenditure of the money.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Farnham v. City of Lincoln