140 N.C. App. 484 - State v. Briggs’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

30 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 30 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “`does not require hard and fast certainty by an officer, but involves more of a common-sense determination. . . . [T]hat involves considering the evidence as understood by those versed in the field of law enforcement under the circumstances then existing.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 189 N.C. App. 532 - State v. Peoples · 200 N.C. App. 618 - State v. Gonzalez

2. ““[W]here a police officer observes unusual conduct which leads him reasonably to conclude in light of his experience that criminal activity may be afoot and that the persons with whom he is dealing may be armed and presently dangerous, where in the course of investigating this behavior he identifies himself as a policeman and makes reasonable inquiries, and where nothing in the initial stages of the encounter serves to dispel his reasonable fear for his own or others’ safety, he is entitled for the protection of himself and others in the area to conduct a carefully limited search of the outer clothing of such person in an attempt to discover weapons which might be used to assault him.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 150 N.C. App. 347 - State v. VanCamp

3. “for weapons and discerned the presence of the object in a pocket. Using a totality of the circumstances analysis, the court stated: Accordingly, we consider the numerous facts and circumstances surrounding the officer's seizure of the cigar holder in determining whether seizure of the cigar holder was lawful. Here, the hour was late and defendant was stopped in a”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Cost v. Com.