Morrison v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 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. ““The only question in the case which gives us any concern is the ruling of the court in requiring the defendant, Morrison, when testifying in his own behalf, to answer how many times he had been arrested. In the case of Kennedy v. Quinn, 166 Ark. 509 , 266 S. W. 462 , it was said: ‘We have frequently and recently decided that a witness cannot be interrogated on his cross-examination for purpose of impeachment concerning indictments or mere accusations of crime. He may be asked if he was guilty or was convicted, but he cannot be asked if he was indicted or accused.’ It is therefore not proper, ordinarily, to ask a witness on his cross-examination whether he has been arrested for the commission of a crime. . . . While we think this question was not competent in the instant case, we do not think its admission was error calling for the reversal of the judgment. The witness explained fully that, while he had been twice arrested, neither arrest had any relation to the offense charged in the indictment. He stated that both arrests were unjust, and that both were dismissed without a trial. His answer to these collateral questions was, of course, conclusive of that inquiry.””

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