State v. Belton’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

71 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 72 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Because section 571.015 [RSMo 1994] specifically provides that it is appEcable to “any felony” committed with a deadly weapon, the culpable mental state of the underlying felony is irrelevant. This conclusion is consistent with section 562.026(2), RSMo Supp.1999, which provides that no culpable mental state is to be imputed to an offense if imputation is clearly inconsistent with the purpose of the statute defining the offense or may lead to an absurd or unjust result. As a result, the culpable mental state of purposely or knowingly as imputed to armed criminal action applies only to the use of the weapon and not to the under lying felony.[ 2 ]”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Walton

2. “[I]f the definition of any offense does not expressly prescribe a culpable mental state for any elements of the offense, a culpable mental state is nonetheless required and is established if a person acts purposely or knowingly; but reckless or criminally negligent acts do not establish such culpable mental state.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Whiteley

3. “First, that defendant committed the offense of involuntary manslaughter in the second degree, as submitted in Instruction No. 7, and Second, that defendant committed that offense by or with or through, the knowing use or assistance or aid of a deadly weapon[.]”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Whiteley