Dryden v. Parrotte’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

12 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 12 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Whether the facts stated in the petition constituted a cause of action, and entitled the plaintiffs to relief, was a judicial question which the trial court had authority to consider and decide; and it is a universal principle — an axiom of the law — that, where a court 'has jurisdiction of both the subject-matter and the parties, power to decide implies authority to decide either way, — to reach either a right or a wrong conclusion, — and, in conformity therewith, to pronounce a judgment that will be conclusive upon the litigants and those in privity with them, unless reversed, vacated, or modified in an appellate or other direct proceeding instituted for that purpose. The sufficiency of the petition is not a test of jurisdiction. Although it may be defective in substance, it will support a judgment if the court has authority to grant the relief demanded, and the facts upon which the demand is based are intelligibly set forth.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hawkins v. Leake