Simpson v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Based on [the prosecutor’s] suggestion that my client is going to state — to stand up in front of you and admit to all of the offenses, you’re saying, wait a minute, that doesn’t make sense, something doesn’t make sense here; if he’s guilty, why don’t, you know, you say he’s guilty and let us all go about our business. Well, there’s something that was not entirely clear from the State’s opening statement, because what she’s referring to is a so-called confession that my client gave. Let’s talk about this so-called confession which the State — and I believe they even used the word. They acted like he’s going to come up here and testify in front of you, as if he did all of these things. My client, on May 16, 2010, signed a statement, and that’s what [the State] was referring to. The statement referred to the three incidents. If you look at this statement ... the problem is, first, that as to the ... the first two incidents — there’s no evidence, other than this statement, that my client had anything to do with those incidents.... The other problem is, if you look at the statement, it is so vague that it does not have the ring of truth.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 228 Md. App. 646 - Walls v. State

2. “—he committed those crimes of arson. And further, he’ll tell you why he did it. But even with the Defendant’s own words, the State — I will bring members of the Prince George’s County’s Fire Marshal’s office, and members of the Prince George’s County Police Department, here to testify before you. And they’re going to sit right there in that jury box and they’re going to corroborate everything that the Defendant has said.... [A]t the end of this trial I’m going to ask you to listen to what the Defendant has said, to listen to how his words are corroborated....”

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