4 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 265 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 Link v. Wabash Railroad.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Link v. Wabash Railroad Anchor | green | “the authority of a federal trial court to dismiss a plaintiff's action with prejudice because of his failure to prosecute cannot seriously be doubted.” | 146 |
| 2 | Hiram Ash v. Eugene Cvetkov | green | “it is within the inherent power of court to sua sponte dismiss a case for lack of prosecution.” | 90 |
| 3 | Wilson v. PNC Bank, N.A. | green | “a district court has inherent authority to dismiss a case for failure to prosecute, and rule 41(b) 'provides an explicit basis for the sanction.” | 22 |
| 4 | Semtek International Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp. | green | “the primary meaning of 'dismissal without prejudice,' we think, is dismissal without barring the plaintiff from returning later, to the same court, with the same underlying claim.” | 7 |
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.