Robertson v. Robinson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

15 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 16 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““All contracts or agreements having for their object that which is repugnant to public justice, or violative of public policy, or offensive to good morals, or contrary to statutory provisions, or in derogation of the principles of the common law relating to the public peace or security, and injurious to the community, are void. * * * Whether this is the real character of the agreement (i. e., whether it violates any of the principles just stated) and, if it be, whether it is offensive to law, and violative of- public policy, requires that the whole transaction should be inquired' into and considered. The form of the agreement and the expressions embodied in the writing to which it was reduced are only matters of evidence not operating an estoppel upon the parties, and not embarrassing or hindering the court. If it were otherwise, if the manner of the transaction could gild over and conceal the truth, this great conservative principle of the law, essential to the purity of the administration of justice, of public morals and the general welfare, would be evaded at the pleasure of the designing, the wicked and the corrupt.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Howard v. Farrar