State v. Perkins’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

28 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 28 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Complaint is also made of the refusal of the trial court to permit the appellants, on cross- examination of Mrs. Ku-bena, a very important witness for the state, to ask the witness as to specific acts of wrongdoing on her part. The same is true of the prosecuting witness, Mrs. Knapp. The law in this jurisdiction was settled by the territorial Supreme Court, in the cases of Territory v. Chaves, 8 N. M. 528, 45 Pac. 1107 ; Borrego v. Territory, 8 N. M. 446, 46 Pac. 849 , and Territory v. De Gutman, 8 N. M. 92, 42 Pac. 48 . There is a sharp conflict in the authorities upon this question. But, as the territorial Supreme Court has adopted the rule that proof of a witness’ particular overt acts of wrongdoing are ordinary relevant as impeachment evidence, but that such acts can never be shown by any evidence outside the examination of the assailed witness, and that the extent of such examination rests largely in the discretion of the trial court, we can see no good reason to depart from the rule of practice thus established.””

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

2. ““The credit of a witness may be impeached by general evidence of bad moral character not restricted to his reputation for truth and veracity. * * * ””

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