Patterson v. Barlow’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

21 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 21 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It is admitted that the Constitution cannot execute itself, and that the power to regulate elections is a legislative one, which has always been exercised by the General Assembly since the foundation of the government. The Constitution appoints the time of the general election, prescribes the qualifications of voters, and enjoins the ballot; and for all the rest the law must provide.... This undoubted legislative power is left by the Constitution to a discretion unfettered by rule or proviso, save the single injunction "that elections shall be free and equal." But to whom are the elections free? They are free only to the qualified electors of the Commonwealth.... There must be a means of distinguishing the qualified from the unqualified ... and therefore the legislature must establish... the means of ascertaining who are and who are not the qualified electors....”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Mixon v. Commonwealth

2. ““How shall elections be made equal? Clearly by laws which shall arrange all the qualified electors into suitable districts, and make their votes equally potent in the election; so that some shall not have more votes than others, and that all shall have an equal share in filling the offices of the Commonwealth.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Shoemaker v. Lawrence