Matthew v. Smith’s Empirical Analysis
1986
Citation profile
1 federal appellate · 37 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 38 later decisions — most recently April 2018 · most notably BELVOIR FARMS HOMEOWNERS ASSOC. INC. v. North (1999), Harrington v. Town of Warner (2005)
1 federal appellate · 37 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 Village of Euclid Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co · Nectow v. City of Cambridge · Valley View Civic Ass'n v. Zoning Board of Adjustment · State of Washington Seattle Title Trust Co v. Roberge · Kisil v. City of Sandusky
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 38 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“In passing upon appeals, where there are practical difficulties or unnecessary hardship in the way of carrying out the strict letter of such ordinance, [the board shall have the power] to vary or modify the application of any of the regulations or provisions of such ordinance relating to the construction or alteration of buddings or structures or the use of land so that the spirit of the ordinance shall be observed, public safety and welfare secured and substantial justice done....”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“(1) relief is necessary because of the unique character of the property rather than for personal considerations; and (2) applying the strict letter of the ordinance would result in unnecessary hardship; and the (3) imposition of such a hardship is not necessary for the preservation of the plan; and (4) granting the variance will result in substantial justice to all.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage““To obtain a use variance, an applicant must demonstrate, inter alia, unnecessary hardship; and to obtain an area variance, an applicant must establish, inter alia, the existence of conditions slightly less rigorous than unnecessary hardship.” (Emphasis in original).”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage
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.