Finn v. Rendell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. “Even assuming, arguendo , that in theory sovereign immunity would not bar mandamus, the nature of the Commonwealth as an entity separate from its agencies and officers makes any such action a practical impossibility. The Commonwealth comprises three branches of government, each divided into many independent subparts.... A request that the Commonwealth be ordered to do something begs the question which of the many actors comprising state government is to be held accountable. Since merely naming the Commonwealth is insufficient to state a claim against a Commonwealth party, Tork-Hiis , it would seem self-evident that if a specific state party can be identified as having a mandatory or ministerial duty, that party must be the named defendant, both in order to make out a cause of action in mandamus and to effectuate enforcement of any ensuing order.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. M.J. Brouillette v. T. Wolf, Governor

2. “[although the Constitution directs the Governor each year to ‘submit’ a budget to the General Assembly, PA. CONST, art. VIII, § 12, appropriations are to be ‘made by the General Assembly,’ PA. CONST, art. VIII, § 13, and ‘[n]o money shall be paid out of the treasury, except on appropriations made by law,’ PA. CONST, art. Ill, § 24. So long as the General Assembly keeps the budget submitted by the Governor balanced, see PA. CONST, art. VIII, § 13(a), the Constitution allows the General Assembly to deviate as much as it wishes from the Governor’s proposals. ‘[T]he General Assembly enacts the legislation establishing those programs which the state provides for its citizens and appropriates the funds necessary for their operation! ] [while] [t]he executive branch implements the legislation by administering the programs.’”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Mental Health Ass'n v. Corbett

3. “a real and not a hypothetical legal controversy and one that affects another in a concrete manner so as to provide a factual predicate for reasoned adjudication....”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. M.J. Brouillette v. T. Wolf, Governor