Van Dusen v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

74 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 74 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It is the district court in whose mind a real doubt of sanity or mental capacity to properly defend must be created before that court is required to order an inquiry solely on its own initiative. Whether a district court on its own initiative should order an inquiry to determine the sanity of an accused at or during the trial is a matter addressed to the discretion of the court and its decision will not he disturbed in the absence of abuse of sound judicial discretion.” (Syl. If 2.)”

   7 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Johnson v. State · State v. Winter

2. “'[I]f the accused is capable of understanding the nature and object of the proceedings going on against him; if he rightly comprehends his own condition with reference to such proceedings, and can conduct his defense in a rational manner, he is, for the purpose of 9 being tried, to be deemed sane, although on some other subject his mind may be deranged or unsound.' [Citation omitted.]”

   7 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Hamrick · State v. Gilder

3. ““. . . Many shades and degrees of mental illness may appear in the disposition of a criminal case. Evaluation thereof is best left in the sound discretion of the trial court which is in much better position to do so than an appellate court. . . .” (p. 726.)”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. English · State v. Ridge