6 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 220 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side — they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from James v. Wadas.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James v. Wadas Anchor | green | “we liberally construe his filings, but we will not act as his advocate.” | 94 |
| 2 | James M. Debardeleben v. J.M. Quinlan, R.L. Matthews, N.W. Smith, R.G. Simpson, E. Cave, and W.A. Blount | green | “the existence of a reasoned, nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal.” | 42 |
| 3 | James M. Debardeleben v. J.M. Quinlan, R.L. Matthews, N.W. Smith, R.G. Simpson, E. Cave, and W.A. Blount | green | “must show a financial inability to pay the required filing fees and the existence of a reasoned, nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal.” | 35 |
| 4 | James M. Debardeleben v. J.M. Quinlan, R.L. Matthews, N.W. Smith, R.G. Simpson, E. Cave, and W.A. Blount | green | “a reasoned, nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal,” | 27 |
| 5 | Thompson v. Gibson | green | “an appeal is frivolous if it lacks an arguable basis in either law or fact” | 12 |
| 6 | Spearman v. Collins | green | “the supreme court has held that good faith is to be judged by an objective standard, for review of any issue 'not frivolous.” | 10 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment — for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.