Pybus v. Smith’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

10 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 10 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““A people can have no higher public interest, except the preservation of their liberties, than integrity in the administration of their government in all its departments. It is therefore a principle of the common law that it will not lend its aid to enforce a contract to do an act which tends to corrupt or contaminate, by improper and sinister influences, the integrity of our social or political institutions. Public officers should act from high consideration of public duty, and hence every agreement whose tendency or object is to sully the purity or mislead the judgments of those to whom the high trust is confided is condemned by the courts. The officer may be an executive, administrative, legis lative, or judicial officer. Tbe principle is tbe same in either case.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Nisbet v. Coulter · Roberts v. Millikin

2. ““It is alleged in the charge made against appellant, in substance, after stating in some detail various matters pending before the city council, that he specially desired certain action to be taken by the city council in certain of these pending matters; that other councilmen especially desired certain action to be taken by the city council in certain others of these pending matters; and: “ ‘That said E. T. Pybus and said councilmen Zener, Hines and Wilson, each well knowing said facts as above alleged, and while in office as said councilmen, on or about the 6th day of January, 1914, and for the sole purpose of carrying out their respective wishes in the premises and preventing said matters and appointments from being fairly and impartially determined by said councilmen, solely on the merits thereof according to the best and uninfluenced judgment of said several councilmen, did wilfully, knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully conspire together and mutually enter into an improper, unlawful and corrupt understanding and agreement to cast their several votes on said propositions as follows, to wit: “ ‘E. T. Pybus agreed to cast his vote to reject the appointment of N. Inscho as chief of police and in consideration therefor, W. R. Wilson agreed to cast his vote in support of and to adopt the said proposed Sunday closing ordinance. “ ‘E. T. Pybus further agreed to cast his vote to reject the confirmation of F. M. Berry as city engineer and in consideration therefor C. A. Hines ag”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Roberts v. Millikin