Howell v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The object of the statute is to secure a “speedy trial,” and where the accused is actually brought to trial within the time required by statute, but . . . where a further delay for a reasonable time is necessary to consider some motion or application of the accused, so that final judgment cannot be entered during such term, the statute has been sufficiently complied with.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 19 Va. App. 637 - Morgan v. Commonwealth

2. “The object of the statute is to secure a “speedy trial,” and where the accused is actually brought to trial within the time required by the statute, but from some adventitious cause, without fault on the part of the Commonwealth, . . . final judgment cannot be entered during such [time], the statute has been sufficiently complied with.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Johnson v. Commonwealth

3. “If the legislature had intended for the silence of the accused, or his failure to object to a continuance of his case, to be a waiver of his right, it could, and doubtless would, have used appropriate language to convey that intention.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Walker v. Commonwealth