172 Conn. App. 820 - State v. Williams’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

20 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 20 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[N]ot all arguments that ask jurors to place themselves in a particular party's situation implicate the prohibition on golden rule argument. ... The animating principle behind the prohibition ... is that jurors should be encouraged to decide cases on the basis of the facts as they find them, and reasonable inferences ... rather than by any incitement to act out of passion or sympathy for or against any party. ... [A] prosecutor does not violate the golden rule by ... asking the jurors to place themselves in [a particular position] if the prosecutor is using these rhetorical devices to ask the jury to assess the evidence from the standpoint of a reasonable person or to employ common sense in evaluating the evidence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 176 Conn. App. 637 - State v. Danovan T.

2. “[p]rosecutorial [impropriety] of a constitutional magnitude can occur in the course of closing arguments. ... [B]ecause closing arguments often have a rough and tumble quality about them, some leeway must be afforded to the advocates in offering arguments to the jury in final argument. [I]n addressing the jury, [c]ounsel must be allowed a generous latitude in argument, as the limits of legitimate argument and fair comment cannot be determined precisely by rule and line, and something must be allowed for the zeal of counsel in the heat of argument.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 175 Conn. App. 22 - State v. Franklin

3. “For example, intent may be inferred from the events leading up to, and immediately following, the conduct in question ... the accused's physical acts and the general surrounding circumstances.... [W]hen a jury evaluates evidence of a defendant's intent, it properly rel[ies] on its common sense, experience and knowledge of human nature in drawing inferences and reaching conclusions of fact.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 187 Conn. App. 661 - State v. Berrios