Smith v. Coughlin’s Empirical Analysis
938 F.2d 19 · 1991
Citation profile
3 federal appellate · 1 district ·
Relationships
Applies 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Civil Rights Act of 1871 / Section 1983 (Ku Klux Klan Act))
Relies on Anderson v. Creighton · Wolff v. McDonnell · Russell v. Coughlin · Bartholomew v. Watson · Fox v. Coughlin
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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[a] right is clearly established if `in light of preexisting law the unlawfulness [of the action taken is] apparent.'”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“concerns regarding the constitutionally of a blanket policy that keeps potentially important fact witnesses from testifying at prison disciplinary hearings.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“the contours of the right must be sufficiently clear that a reasonable official would understand that what he is doing violates that right.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Anderson v. Recore
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.