220 W. Va. 735 - State v. Murray’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. “[r]emarks made by the State's attorney in closing argument which make specific reference to the defendant's failure to testify, constitute reversible error and defendant is entitled to a new trial.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Mark T. Coleman v. J.T. Binion · 222 W. Va. 139 - State v. KEESECKER

2. “[i]t is prejudicial error in a criminal case for the prosecutor to make statements in final argument amounting to a comment on the failure of the defendant to testify.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Mark T. Coleman v. J.T. Binion · 222 W. Va. 139 - State v. KEESECKER

3. “You know, there is one thing I know which has been hidden in this case. . . . If Fred Muth [defense counsel] can think of one reason, one lousy little reason at all why this girl would turn a finger at his client sitting over there, other than the fact that he committed this crime, he would tell you what it was. . . . There is a motive, you know what it is, I know what it is, everybody knows what it is. It is because he did it. Whether he hangs his head there and won't look at you or not, he did it, and there is no one in this Court Room that ever said he didn't do it. . . .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 222 W. Va. 139 - State v. KEESECKER