5 canonical passages across 3 cases, quoted by 57 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 TRW Inc. v. Andrews.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRW Inc. v. Andrews Anchor | green | “it is a cardinal principle of statutory construction that a statute ought, upon the whole, to be so construed that, if it can be prevented, no clause, sentence, or word shall be superfluous, void, or insignificant.” | 27 |
| 2 | TRW Inc. v. Andrews | green | “it is 'a cardinal principle of statutory construction' that 'a statute ought, upon the whole, to be so construed that, if it can be prevented, no clause, sentence, or word shall be superfluous, void, or insignificant.” | 20 |
| 3 | TRW Inc. v. Andrews | green | “it is a cardinal principle of statutory construction' that a statute ought, upon the whole, to be so construed that, if it can be prevented, no clause, sentence, or word shall be superfluous, void, or insignificant.” | 4 |
| 4 | Whitfield v. United States | green | “because the meaning of text is plain and unambiguous, we need not accept petitioners' invitation to consider the legislative history ____” | 3 |
| 5 | Taylor v. Diamond State Port Corp. | green | “to the extent possible, we construe statutory language against surplusage, and assume the general assembly used particular text purposefully.” | 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.