158 W. Va. 164 - State v. Blosser’s Empirical Analysis
1974
Citation profile
22 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 23 later decisions — most recently December 1994
22 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Gideon v. Wainwright · Argersinger v. Hamlin · 157 W. Va. 640 - State v. Thomas · 149 W. Va. 155 - State Ex Rel. May v. Boles · 157 W. Va. 711 - State v. Britton
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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““[N]o one is compelled to have counsel if the does not so choose. The right [to assistance of counsel] is permissive and conditional upon the pleasure of the accused; preferring the protection of the court, or choosing to rely upon his own skill and ability, he may not desire the assistance of counsel. The right of a party to appear in his own behalf and be heard in the courts is fundamental. It is an inalienable right common to all, guaranteed by both the constitution of the state and the Constitution of the United States.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage““West Virginia Constitution, Article III, Section 14, guarantees that, absent a knowing and intelligent waiver, no person may be imprisoned for any offense, whether classified as petty, misdemean- or, or felony, unless he was represented by counsel at his trial.””
1 later decision quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.