Jacobs v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “In essence, Jacobs hopes mitochondrial DNA testing will show the hair samples came from a third party. Such evidence, however, would “merely muddy the waters” by demonstrating that a third party had, at some point in time (but not necessarily at the time of the crime), been inside the sleeper compartment of the tractor truck. Such evidence would not, on its own, exonerate Jacobs and thereby support the ordering of a DNA test. Accordingly, the evidence before the trial court did not show DNA testing would prove Jacobs’ actual innocence. This conclusion might be different if the sexual assault examination had yielded seminal or blood DNA evidence from the perpetrator. However, the presence of a third-party hair on Jacobs’ bed linens or clothing not belonging to the victim does not necessarily prove Jacobs’ innocence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Jacobs v. State