The Binghamton Bridge’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

21 federal appellate · 44 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 156 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It is settled law that in grants by the public nothing passes merely by implication, and if a contract with a state, relating to the exercise of franchises, is susceptible of two meanings, The one restricting and the other extending the powers of a corporation, that construction is to be adopted which works the least harm' to the state/ ””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Stein v. Bienville Water Supply Co. · Mitchell v. Tulsa Water, Light, Heat & Power Co.

2. “in grants by the public nothing passes by implication”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Stein v. Bienville Water Supply Co. · Teva Pharm. United States, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc.

3. ““* * * We have supposed, if anything was settled by an unbroken course of decisions in the Federal and State courts, it was, that an act of incorporation was a contract between the State and the stockholders. All courts at this day are estopped from questioning the doctrine. The security of property rests upon it, and every successful enterprise is undertaken, in the unshaken belief that it will never be forsaken. A departure from it now would involve dangers to society that cannot be foreseen, would shock the sense of justice of the country, unhinge its business interests, and weaken, if not destroy, that respect which has always been felt for the judicial department of the Government. An attempt even to reaffirm it, could only tend to lessen its force and obligation. It received its ablest exposition in the case of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, which case has ever since been considered a landmark by the profession, and no court has since disregarded the doctrine, that the charters of private corporations are contracts, protected from invasion by the Constitu tion of the United States. And it has since so often received the solemn sanction of this court, that it would unnecessarily lengthen this opinion to refer to the cases, or even enumerate them.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Haberlach v. Tillamook County Bank