Content Analysis by Michael Heise.
From the post:
Dan Katz (MSU) let me know about a beta release of new website, Legal Language Explorer, that will likely interest anyone who does content analysis as well as those looking for a neat (and, according to Jason Mazzone, addictive) toy to burn some time. The site, according to Dan, allows users: “the chance [free of charge] to search the history of the United States Supreme Court (1791-2005) for any phrase and get a frequency plot and the full text case results for that phrase.” Dan also reports that the developers hope to expand coverage beyond Supreme Court decisions in the future.
The site needs a For Amusement Only sticker. Legal language changes over time and probably no place more so than in Supreme Court decisions.
It was a standing joke in law school that the bar association sponsored the “Avoid Probate” sort of books. If you really want to incur legal fees, just try self-help. Same is true for this site. Use it to argue with your friends, settle bets during football games, etc. Don’t rely on it during night time, road side encounters with folks carrying weapons and radios to summons help. (police)