Higgins v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

42 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 42 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““A confession of a defendant, unless made in open court, will not warrant a conviction, unless accompanied with other proof that such an offense was committed. ’ ’”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Pettijohn v. Commonwealth · Frierson v. Commonwealth

2. ““There is but the one crime charged, that of murder by all the defendants. . . . The one charged as principal may be found guilty of aiding and abetting; and the one charged as aider and ¿bettor may be found guilty as principal. This is for the reason that each is the agent and instrument of the other, and his act is the act of the other, and the act of each constitutes but one crime, and. each is guilty of the act actually committed by the other; such act is in law, the act of each. ’ ’”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Watkins v. Commonwealth

3. “it was found at a time and a place furnishing reasonable ground to connect it in some way with the [incident]. The proof need not positively show the connection; but there must be proof rendering the inference reasonable or probable from its nearness in time and place or other circumstances.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Barth v. Commonwealth