7 canonical passages across 5 cases, quoted by 27 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 Arrowhead Development Co. v. Livingston County Road Commission.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrowhead Development Co. v. Livingston County Road Commission Anchor | green | “must be read in context with the entire act, and the words and phrases used there must be assigned such meanings as are in harmony with the whole of the statute, construed in the light of history and common sense.” | 5 |
| 2 | G C Timmis & Co. v. Guardian Alarm Co. | green | “although a phrase or a statement may mean one thing when read in isolation, it may mean something substantially different when read in context,” | 5 |
| 3 | S. Dearborn Envtl. Improvement Ass'n, Inc. v. Dep't of Envtl. Quality | green | “however, we do not read statutory language in isolation and must construe its meaning in light of the context of its use.” | 5 |
| 4 | William Mueller & Sons, Inc v. Department of Treasury | green | “in the business of testing farm soil, recommending fertilizer mixes, and selling seed and fertilizer to farmers.” | 3 |
| 5 | William Mueller & Sons, Inc v. Department of Treasury | green | “tilling, planting . . . and caring for . . . things of the soil.” | 3 |
| 6 | Detroit Edison Company v. Department of Treasury | green | “agricultural-production exemption.” | 3 |
| 7 | S. Dearborn Envtl. Improvement Ass'n, Inc. v. Dep't of Envtl. Quality | green | “the whole-text canon . . . calls on the judicial interpreter to consider the entire text, in view of its structure and of the physical and logical relation of its many parts.” | 3 |
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.