Jones v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 federal appellate · 25 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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Even a lay person is aware that marijuana and alcohol use has very different effects and results in different behavior than the use of methamphetamine. Jones was making a very specific claim about a particular type of drug use commonly known to lead to aggressive behavior and bad judgment. This claim was supported by forensic evidence. I agree with the majority that the circumstances of this crime — Jones entered the house armed and shot multiple unarmed victims several times — make it unlikely that jurors would believe a self-defense claim. For that reason I find the admission of this evidence essential. Forensic evidence corroborating Jones’s claim that his victims were high on methamphetamine might well have made a difference to jurors who were reviewing the possibility that he acted in the heat of passion, who were judging witness credibility, and who were reviewing mitigating circumstances. Jones, 201 P.3d at 898 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 98 F. Supp. 3d 1179 - Jones v. Workman

2. “Clark could have presented eyewitness testimony which corroborated [Petitioner’s] claims that he had fought with the victims. While this was certainly subject to impeachment, it would have provided jurors confirmation of [Petitioner’s] story. The evidence came not from [Petitioner’s] friends or family but from a detention officer, which might have made it more credible in jurors’ eyes. This claim must be analyzed in light of the juror’s inability to consider forensic evidence, which also supported [Petitioner’s] story. Taken together these two rulings prevented jurors from hearing any independent evidence supporting [Petitioner’s] claims, or considering it as they deliberated. I simply cannot find that exclusion of this evidence could have had no effect on the jury’s decisions. Jones, 201 P.3d at 898 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 98 F. Supp. 3d 1179 - Jones v. Workman

3. “the main point of Phillips’s statement to Hernandez — and the question at issue in the trial — is that without arguing with any of the victims, and after being asked to leave once, Jones began shooting randomly at the people in the house. This differs dramatically from Phillips’s trial testimony, testimony of other witnesses, and Jones’s story, all of which state that Jones began arguing with Tara Platt and the conflict escalated before the shooting began.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 98 F. Supp. 3d 1179 - Jones v. Workman