5 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 169 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 Barry Lesane v. Hall's Security Analyst, Inc..
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Lesane v. Hall's Security Analyst, Inc. Anchor | green | “gives the district court authority to dismiss a plaintiff's case sua sponte for failure to prosecute.” | 48 |
| 2 | Lyell Theatre Corporation v. Loews Corporation | green | “prejudice to defendants resulting from unreasonable delay may be presumed.” | 44 |
| 3 | Caussade v. United States | green | “dismissal for lack of prosecution or for failure to comply with an order of the court is a matter committed to the discretion of the district court.” | 31 |
| 4 | Caussade v. United States | green | “there is no fixed period of time that must elapse before a plaintiff's failure to prosecute becomes substantial enough to warrant dismissal,” | 25 |
| 5 | United States of America, Ex Rel., Walter M. Drake v. Norden Systems, Inc., and United Technologies Corporation | green | “given notice that further delay would result in dismissal,” | 21 |
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.