State v. White’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. ““In cases of criminal slander, the gist of the action is the intention of the defendant in uttering the words. (Citation.) The words used must have imputed lack of chastity to the woman or women mentioned. (Citation.) If it is apparent from the circumstances under which the words were uttered that they were not intended or to be understood as imputing such lack of chastity, but were intended and to be understood only as mere terms of abuse or vituperation, then the uttering of them does not constitute criminal slander. (Citations.) Though we are not quite prepared to say that the evidence on the part of the State showed conclusively that the words complained of were used as mere terms of abuse and not to impute lack of chastity, it had, to say the least, a strong tendency in that direction and amply justified the giving of the instruction asked.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. People v. Celorio de Tizol