State v. Willis’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 9 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““There is no danger that a jury will attach too much importance to the opinion of the witness in such a case, as when one testifies that from the odor and appearance of the burned powder in the barrel of a shotgun and from his long experience in such matters he is of the opinion that the gun was fired recently, provided he states the facts on which his opinion is founded. What makes such testimony admissible is that there is no danger of deception. Whatever objection there may be to such testimony has reference to its sufficiency or its effect, not its admissibility.””

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

2. ““The rule which forbids a nonexpert witness to express his opinion has reference to scientific subjects on which an individual’s opinion is of no value unless he is versed in the particular science. But, as to subjects on which any person of experience may form an accurate opinion from the facts which he has observed, a nonexpert witness may give the jury the benefit of his opinion, provided he states the facts on which the opinion is founded, because then the jury also is governed by the facts, in determining whether the opinion is well founded.””

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