State v. Couture’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

58 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 64 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “This case demonstrates, unfortunately, what happens when each participant in the criminal justice system fails to meet his or her respective obligations. Cases drag on endlessly from continuance to continuance; evidence and documents are lost; witnesses cannot be located; the accused sits in jail 'deteriorating' and becoming increasingly frustrated with counsel; and the prosecution and the defense adopt a 'stream of consciousness' approach, raising one issue and resolving that, then raising another and resolving that, followed by another, and then another. Meanwhile, the right to a speedy trial swings aimlessly in the breeze.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People v. Superior Court of L. A. Cnty.

2. “'[T]he issue is not simply the number of times the accused acquiesced or objected; rather, the focus is on the surrounding circumstances, such as the timeliness, persistence, and sincerity of the objections, the reasons for the acquiescence, whether the accused was represented by counsel, the accused's pretrial conduct (as that conduct bears on the speedy trial right), and so forth. [Citation.] The totality of the accused's responses to the delay is indicative of whether he or she actually wanted a speedy trial.'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People v. Superior Court of L. A. Cnty.

3. “It is the obligation of the prosecutor and the court to try the accused in a timely manner, and this duty requires a good-faith, diligent effort to bring him to trial quickly. [Citation.] ... And, most importantly, it is the obligation of the trial court to ensure that the prosecution and the defense fulfill their respective obligations.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People v. Superior Court of L. A. Cnty.