Griggs v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 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 2 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"The State argues that Griggs failed to preserve his complaint . . . because he did not timely object to the testimony [of Gravitt and Grant]. Generally, a timely objection to a violation of a motion in limine is necessary to preserve a complaint of error. However, an objection after an event occurs cannot fulfill the purpose of the objection, which is to prevent the occurrence of the event. Young v. State, 137 S.W.3d 65, 70 (Tex. Crim.App.2004). At the conclusion of the two witnesses' testimony, Griggs made a motion for mistrial . . . The trial court denied the motion for mistrial and instructed the jury before the next witness was called. Under these circumstances, Grigg's actions were sufficient to preserve the complaint about the mistrial ruling. See id. (If an instruction could not have enabled the continuation of the trial by an impartial jury, `the only suitable remedy is a mistrial, and a motion for mistrial is the only essential prerequisite to presenting the complaint on appeal.')." Id. at 78 (some citations omitted; parenthetical material in original).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Griggs v. State

2. “The testimony was not only heard by the jury but was repeated by two State's witnesses, one of whom was the investigating officer in the case. Furthermore, the testimony was given in violation of the court's earlier ruling. Afterward, the trial judge himself expressed concern that the testimony of the witnesses had jeopardized the trial. The impression produced in the minds of the jurors — that Griggs might be a serial rapist of elderly women — was highly prejudicial and could not be cured by an instruction to disregard. Given the lack of direct identification of the perpetrator of the crime charged, and because the prosecution relied heavily upon Griggs's alleged admissions to his fellow inmates, the danger that the jury may have been swayed by the inadmissible testimony was particularly high. Under these circumstances, the trial court abused its discretion in denying Griggs's motion for mistrial.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Griggs v. State

3. “Q: What did [Richard] Gravitt tell you in respect to the investigation of the rape of [the victim]? A: He told me that he was in the cell with Greg Griggs and Greg had told him that he had raped three elderly — Q: Hold on. Mr. — Mr. Grant, with specifics as to Mr. Griggs only, what did Mr. Gravitt tell you? A: That Griggs told him that he had raped three elderly women in his neighborhood and that he — he had told him about a towel and a screwdriver and that he was paranoid that we were trying to get his DNA so we could catch him.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. Griggs v. State