10 canonical passages across 6 cases, quoted by 699 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 Curley v. Perry.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curley v. Perry Anchor | green | “we agree with the majority view that sua sponte dismissal of a meritless complaint that cannot be salvaged by amendment comports with due process and does not infringe the right of access to the courts.” | 161 |
| 2 | Wayne LaFountain v. Shirlee Harry | green | “e hold, like every other circuit to have reached the issue, that under rule 15(a) a district court can allow a plaintiff to amend his complaint even when the complaint is subject to dismissal under the plra” | 100 |
| 3 | United States v. Gonzalez Gonzalez | green | “this does not mean, of course, that every sua sponte dismissal entered without prior notice to the plaintiff automatically must be reversed. if it is crystal clear that ... amending the complaint would be futile, then a sua sponte dismissal may stand.” | 97 |
| 4 | George v. Smith | green | “ruling against a prisoner on an administrative complaint does not cause or contribute to the violation.” | 84 |
| 5 | George v. Smith | green | “only persons who cause or participate in the violations are responsible.” | 42 |
| 6 | United States v. Gonzalez Gonzalez | green | “if it is crystal clear that . . . amending the complaint would be futile, then a sua sponte dismissal may stand.” | 20 |
| 7 | Roy Mitchell, Jr. v. Kevin Kallas | green | “for a defendant to be liable under section 1983, she must be personally responsible for the alleged deprivation of the plaintiff's constitutional rights.” | 18 |
| 8 | Bobby Joe Lewellen v. The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee and the Metropolitan Board of Public Education | green | “t is now firmly settled that injury caused by negligence does not constitute a 'deprivation' of any constitutionally protected interest” | 9 |
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.