United States v. Hartwell’s Empirical Analysis
73 U.S. 385 · 1867
Citation profile
124 federal appellate · 52 district · 134 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 533 later decisions (81 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 2025 · most notably Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca (1987), Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War (1974)
124 federal appellate · 52 district · 134 state decisions — followed in 40 states
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.
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 533 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“If the language be clear it is conclusive. There can be no construction where there is nothing to construe.”
21 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““An office is a public station, or employment, conferred by the appointment of government The term embraces the ideas of tenure, duration, emolument, and duties. The employment of the defendant was in the public service of the United States. He was appointed pursuant to law, and his compensation was fixed by law. Vacating the office of his superior would not have affected the ténure of his place. His duties were continuing and permanent, not occasional or temporary. They were to be such as his superior in office should prescribe.””
9 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“"If the subordinates are not within, the act, there is no provision In the laws of the United States for their punishment in such cases. * * * We think it clear that it was not the intention of Congress to leave an omission so wide and important in the act. * * * ””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.