State v. Williams’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

29 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 29 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““A defendant may plead not guilty, guilty or, with the consent of the court, nolo con-tendere. The court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty, and shall not accept such plea or a plea of nolo contendere without first addressing the defendant personally and determining that the plea is made voluntarily with understanding of the nature of the charge and the consequences of the plea. If a defendant refuses to plead or if the court refuses to accept a plea of guilty or if a defendant corporation fails to appear, the court shall enter a plea of not guilty. The court shall not enter a judgment upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendere unless it is satisfied that there is a factual basis for the plea.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Feng · State v. Frazar

2. ““[t]hat objective may be attained by: ‘(1) an explanation of the essential elements by the judge at the guilty plea hearing; (2) a representation that counsel had explained to the defendant the elements he admits by his plea [footnote omitted]; (3) defendant’s statements admitting to facts constituting the unexplained element or stipulations to such facts.’ ” Id. at 41 , 404 A.2d at 819 (quoting Commonwealth v. McGuirk, 376 Mass. 338 , 380 N.E.2d 662, 666 (1978)).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Miguel Camacho v. State of Rhode Island