The Quickstep’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

47 federal appellate · 36 district · 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 121 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It was the duty of the tug, as the captains of the canal-boats had no voice in making up the tow, to see that it was properly constructed, and that the lines were sufficient and securely fastened. This was an equal duty, whether she furnished the lines to the boats, or the boats to her. In the nature of the employment, her officers could tell better than the men on the boats what sort of a line was required to secure the boats together, and to keep them in their positions. If she failed in this duty she was guilty of a maritime fault.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. The Lyndhurst · The Lyndhurst

2. ““But the claimants of the tug deny that their vessel was in fault, and.insist that the disaster occurred by the violence of the storm and gale of wind which prevailed at the time. If this be so, how did it happen that two of the canalboats that got loose from the fleet survived the perils of that night? One of these boats anchored, and was saved without difficulty; the other, loaded with iron, drifted about, and was picked up the next morning without having sustained any damage. The fact that these boats did not experience any bad effects from the severity of this storm explodes the theory advanced by the claimants on the subject.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Co. v. Luckenbach

3. ““The libel was not filed to recover damages for a breach of a contract, as is contended, but to obtain compensation for the commission of a tort. It is true, it asserts a contract of towage, but this done by way of inducement to the real grievance complained of, which is the wrong suffered by the libelant in the destruction of his boat by the carelessness and mismanagement of the captain of the Quickstep.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. The M. Vandercook