9 canonical passages across 8 cases, quoted by 106 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 Oxendine v. Williams.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oxendine v. Williams Anchor | green | “the competence of a layman representing himself is clearly too limited to allow him to risk the rights of others.” | 22 |
| 2 | Warren Crozier v. Westside Community School Dist | green | “non-attorney parents cannot litigate pro se on behalf of their minor children, even if the minors cannot then bring the claim themselves.” | 19 |
| 3 | Oxendine v. Williams | green | “we consider the competence of a layman representing himself to be clearly too limited to allow him to risk the rights of others.” | 15 |
| 4 | Myers v. Loudoun County Public Schools | green | “non-attorney parents generally may not litigate the claims of their minor children in federal court.” | 15 |
| 5 | Joseph Wojcicki v. SCANA Corporation | green | “allowing individuals to represent themselves pro se 'reflects a respect for the choice of an individual citizen to plead his or her own cause,' but so does the bar preventing individuals without legal expertise from representing others.” | 10 |
| 6 | Fowler v. Lee | green | “the competence of a layman representing himself is clearly too limited to allow him to risk the rights of others.” | 9 |
| 7 | Hummer v. Dalton | green | “the competence of a layman representing himself is clearly too limited to allow him to risk the rights of others.” | 8 |
| 8 | Lamont Heard v. Patricia Caruso | green | “ability to protect the interests of the class depends in part on the quality of counsel, and we consider the competence of a layman representing himself to be clearly too limited to allow him to risk the rights of others.” | 5 |
| 9 | Inmates, Washington County Jail v. England | green | “any declaratory relief granted . . . would likely inure to the benefit of other similarly-situated individuals” | 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.