Ramsay v. Wilhelm’s Empirical Analysis
1932
Citation profile
18 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 18 later decisions — most recently October 1994
18 state decisions
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 Davis v. State ex rel. Wren · Fowler v. State ex rel. George · State Ex Rel. Barry v. Connor · Gray v. State Ex Rel. Langham · Turner v. Teller
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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“"But to enforce a strict observance of all of the directory provisions of the statute, absent proof of unfairness or dishonesty, would more often defeat than effectuate the popular will; and it is probable that but few elections would stand such a scrupulous test.” (Emphasis supplied.)”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage““It is common knowledge that such matters are usually intrusted to laymen, and that in sparsely populated counties and small towns a strict compliance with all the provisions of the statutes is seldom, if ever, observed. The will of the legal voters as expressed at the polls is the matter of paramount concern, and, in the absence any showing of fraud, or reasonable indication that such will has not been fairly expressed and the evidence thereof properly preserved, the courts have been liberal in construing and enforcing as directory only the provisions of the election laws which are not upon their face clearly mandatory. * * * And, absent evidence of fraud, unfairness in the holding of an election, or tampering with the ballots or returns, the courts of this state have uniformly held that ballots cast by legally qualified voters should be given effect * * *»”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Wooley v. Sterrett““The main design of all election laws is, or should be, to secure a fair expression of the popular will, in the speediest and most convenient manner; and we think a failure to comply with provisions not essential to attain that object should not avoid the election, in the absence of language clearly showing that such was the legislative intent.””
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Wooley v. Sterrett
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.