Mayer v. Hellman’s Empirical Analysis
91 U.S. 496 · 1875
Citation profile
42 federal appellate · 24 district · 32 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 141 later decisions (19 by the Supreme Court) — most recently December 1975 · most notably Louisville Joint Stock Land Bank v. Radford (1935), Stellwagen v. Clum (1918)
42 federal appellate · 24 district · 32 state decisions — followed in 16 states
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
Relies on Sturges v. Crowninshield · Matter of WT Grant Co. · In Re Busman · Tiffany v. Lucas
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 141 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“‘“There is nothing in the act resembling an insolvent law. There was an insolvent law in the state, but the assignment in Question was not made in pursuance of any of its provisions.””
6 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““Independently of the Bankrupt Act, there could he no serious question raised as to its legality. The power which every one possesses over his own property would justify any such disposition as did not interfere with the existing rights of others; and an equal distribution by a debtor of his property among his creditors, when unable to meet the demands of all in full, would be deemed not only a legal proceeding, but one entitled to commendation. Creditors have a right to call for the application of the property of their-debtor to the satisfaction of their just demands; but, unless there are special circumstances giving priority of right to the demands of one creditor over another, the rule of equity would require the equal and ratable distribution of the debtor’s property for the benefit of all of them. And so, whenever such- a disposition has been voluntarily made by the debtor, the courts In this country have uniformly expressed their approbation of the proceeding. The hindrance and delay to particular creditors, in their efforts to reach before others the property of the debtor, that may follow such a conveyance, are regarded as unavoidable incidents to a just and lawful act, which in no respect impair the validity of the transaction.””
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.