State v. Southworth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Evidence has been presented that [Child] acted in self-defense. [Child] acted in self-defense if: 1. There was an appearance of immediate danger of bodily harm to [Child] as a result of [Uncle’s] disciplining [Child] with a belt; and 2. [Child] was in fact put in fear of immediate bodily harm and [Child] shoved [Uncle] because of that fear; and 3. [Child] used an amount of force that [Child] believed was reasonable and necessary to prevent the bodily harm; and 4. The apparent danger would have caused a reasonable person in the same circumstances to act as [Child] did. The burden is on the [S]tate to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that [Child] did not act in self-defense. If you have a reasonable doubt as to whether [Child] acted in self-defense, you must find [Child] not guilty.”

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