Lewis v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 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 7 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““If there had been evidence to show that the only offense committed by appellant was the mere striking of Burris, then he would have been entitled to an instruction on assault and battery as a lower degree of the offense charged, as well as an instruction under section 1242 for cutting in sudden affray. Since he was indicted for malicious cutting, then •whatever offense he was guilty of was for malicious cutting, or for cutting in sudden affray. True, to ■cut Burris with a knife was an assault and battery upon him, but for such an assault and battery the punishment is by statute, and those statutes punishing it are sections 1166 and 1242, and no instructions other than those given by the court are necessary.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Caldwell v. Commonwealth · Noral v. Commonwealth