Johnson v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

12 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[A] plea bargain agreement was made and defendant, who had complied with the agreement, was entitled to have the agreement strictly complied with by the prosecutor until the sentencing process was completed. Any deviation from the agreement by the prosecutor, whether inadvertent or not, should not have been countenanced. Here the defendant promptly elected to withdraw his guilty plea entered pursuant to the agreement and he should have been permitted to do so.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. WA JONES v. Commonwealth · 25 Va. App. 1 - Sandy v. Commonwealth

2. ““In Virginia, as well as in our sister states, the system of criminal justice cannot function promptly and effectively unless the vast majority of all criminal cases are disposed of on pleas of guilty, [footnote omitted] Plea bargaining, when properly pursued, is a legitimate means of arriving at a plea of guilty, but it is a practice which should not be abused. Hobson v. Youell, 177 Va. 906 , 15 S.E.2d 76 (1941). “Disposition of charges after plea discussions is not only an essential part of the process but a highly desirable part for many reasons. It leads to prompt and largely final disposition of most criminal cases; it avoids much of the corrosive impact of enforced idleness during pretrial confinement for those who are denied release pending trial; it protects the public from those accused persons who are prone to continue criminal conduct even while on pretrial release; and, by shortening the time between charge and disposition, it enhances whatever may be the rehabilitative prospects of the guilty when they are ultimately imprisoned. Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 261 (1971).” 214 Va. at 517-18 , 201 S.E.2d at 596 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Jordan v. Commonwealth

3. ““When there is noncompliance, whether intentional or inadvertent, by the prosecutor with the plea bargain agreement as the defendant understands it, the defendant must promptly call such noncompliance to the court’s attention and request that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea, otherwise it will be deemed to have been waived.” Johnson v. Commonwealth, 214 Va. 515, 518-19 , 201 S.E.2d 594, 597 (1974).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 469 F. Supp. 656 - Cosby v. Muncy