May v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 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 2 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The Court instructs the jury for the State that the law tolerates no excuse and accepts no justification for the taking of human life upon the plea of self-defense, unless it be reasonably necessary to save the slayer’s life, or to save him from some great bodily harm, at the time of the fatal shooting. And in this cause, if you believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant, William Freeman Poole, shot and killed Emmett Parker, at a time when he was in no immediate danger, real or apparent, of losing his life or suffering some great bodily harm at the hands of Emmett Parker then the defendant, William Freemen Poole, is guilty of either murder or manslaughter; murder if he acted of his malice aforethought, and manslaughter if he acted without malice.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Poole v. State