6 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 88 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 Spector Motor Service, Inc. v. McLaughlin.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spector Motor Service, Inc. v. McLaughlin Anchor | green | “if there is one doctrine more deeply rooted than any other in the process of constitutional adjudication, it is that we ought not to pass on questions of constitutionality ... unless such adjudication is unavoidable.” | 36 |
| 2 | Burton v. United States | green | “it is not the habit of the court to decide questions of a constitutional nature unless absolutely necessary to a decision of the case.” | 21 |
| 3 | Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C. | green | “it is a fundamental rule of judicial restraint ... that this court will not reach constitutional questions in advance of the necessity of deciding them.” | 7 |
| 4 | Baker v. Fletcher | green | “e must not reach a constitutional issue if other grounds are sufficient to decide the case.” | 2 |
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.