Head v. The University’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 federal appellate · 9 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The plaintiff “was elected a professor of mathematics in the tlniversity of Missouri, and it was resolved that he should hold his office for six years from July 5, 1856, ‘subject to law.’ The judge at the circuit held, and we think correctly, that this expression meant subject to whatever law the state Legislature might think fit to pass. On the 17th of December, 1859, the Legislature did pass an act, vacating the offices of all ‘the professors, tutors, and teachers connected in any manner with the university,’ and providing also that a new board of curators should be elected in the place of the existing board. It was by the authority of this statute that the board of curators elected a successor to the plaintiff, and placed him in the possession of the professorship. The plaintiff accepted his office subject to the laws then in existence, and subject to the passage of such subsequent laws as should seem wise to the Legislature. If it had not been intended to place the control of his office at the disposition of the Legislature, the words ‘subject to law’ would have been quite unnecessary in the resolution.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Lawrenceburg Roller Mills Co. v. Chas. A. Jones & Co.