5 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 69 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 Correll v. Division of Social Services.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Correll v. Division of Social Services Anchor | green | “statutory interpretation properly begins with an examination of the plain words of the statute.” | 32 |
| 2 | State v. Beck | green | “if the statutory language is clear and unambiguous, the court eschews statutory construction in favor of giving the words their plain and definite meaning.” | 24 |
| 3 | Lemons v. Old Hickory Council, Boy Scouts of America, Inc. | green | “it is elementary that in the construction of a statute words are to be given their plain and ordinary meaning unless the context, or the history of the statute, requires otherwise.” | 5 |
| 4 | State v. Beck | green | “the primary endeavor of courts in construing a statute is to give effect to legislative intent.” | 5 |
| 5 | Nelson v. Battle Forest Friends Meeting | green | “it is presumed the general assembly intended the words it used to have the meaning they have in ordinary speech.” | 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.