Ford v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

20 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 20 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It is the duty of the court to direct the jury what the law is, and it is the duty of the jury to apply it, under the direction of the court, so far as he has directed, to the facts in evidence. They must treat it as applicable to the facts, and apply it as they determine the facts to be. The court is a witness to them what the law is, and the jury should adjudge it to be as given them....”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Locke · State v. Williamson

2. ““The jury are the judges of the facts, and the law as it applies to the facts. In making up their verdict they are to consider the law in connection with the facts, but the court is the proper source from which they are to get the law. In other words, they are judges of the law as well as the facts, under the direction of the court.’ ””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Dykes v. State

3. ““Proof of an alibi should cover the whole time of the transaction in question, for if it be possible that the prisoner could have been at both places the proof of the alibi is of no value whatever.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 1 Tenn. Crim. App. 668 - Walton v. State