Nix v. Norman’s Empirical Analysis
879 F.2d 429 · 1989
Citation profile
39 federal appellate · 21 district · 9 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 117 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently February 2025 · most notably Hafer v. Melo (1991), Wells v. Brown (1989)
39 federal appellate · 21 district · 9 state decisions
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.
Relationships
Applies 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Civil Rights Act of 1871 / Section 1983 (Ku Klux Klan Act))
Relies on Monell v. Department of Social Services of City of New York · Scheuer v. Rhodes · Ex Parte: Edward T Young · Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle · Edelman v. Jordan
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 117 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[W]e have repeatedly stated that section 1983 litigants wishing to sue government agents in both capacities should simply use the following language: 'Plaintiff sues each and all defendants in both their individual and official capacities.'”
4 later decisions quote this exact passagee.g. McCollum v. Garrett · Burr v. Kulas“(a) Capacity. It is not necessary to aver the capacity of a party to sue. or be sued or the authority of a party to sue or be sued ... except to the extent required to show the jurisdiction of the court.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“seeking to impose a liability which must be paid from public funds in the state treasury, ... courts may order injunctions' to prevent or remedy a state officer’s conduct. ... Courts may also award a wide range of prospective relief which serves to bring an end to a present violation of federal law ... even though accompanied by a substantial ancillary effect on the state treasury.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage
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.