Richards v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 3 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “I am afraid that if we uphold the authority of the State to punish one's failure to use a seat-belt, we are one more step on our way to an Orwellian society in which the State can punish merely for smoking cigarettes, for not brushing one's teeth, or for [just] being foolish. " (My emphasis.). Justice Levy's Brethren on the First Court of Appeals ignored his concerns. A majority of the court of appeals merely held, inter alia: "In the present case, there is evidence that the Texas seat belt law serves the public safety and welfare by enhancing a driver's ability to maintain control of his vehicle, and by reducing injuries not only to himself, but also to others, all of which directly affects the state's economic welfare.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Richards v. State

2. “I am afraid that if we uphold the authority of the State to punish one's failure to use a seat-belt, we are one more step on our way to an Orwellian society in which the State can punish merely for smoking cigarettes, for not brushing one's teeth, or for [just] being foolish.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. Richards v. State

3. ““need not be in every respect logically consistent with its aims to be constitutional. It is enough that there is an evil at hand for correction, and that it might be thought that the particular legislative measure was a rational way to correct it.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Hartog