State v. Coffil’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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. ““In the discipline of his court, the trial judge is vested with a sound discretion to stop the prolonged, unnecessary and irrelevant examination of a witness, whether such examination be direct or cross, and even though no objection be urged by counsel.” LSA-R.S. 15:275. “A court possesses inherently all powers necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction and the enforcement of its lawful orders * * *. It has the duty to require that criminal proceedings shall be conducted with dignity and in an orderly and expeditious manner and to so control the proceedings that justice is done. * * * ” (Italics ours.) La.C.Cr.P. Art. 17. “The judge is not to be restricted to the functions of a mere umpire or referee in a contest between opposing parties or counsel, but is charged by law and conscience with the fundamental duty of seeing that truth is established and justice done, under the statutes and rules of law designed to bring about such result, and his control of the situation should be manifest and complete at all times.” 88 C.J.S. Trial § 36, p. 93. “* * * When á question is improper or calls for improper evidence, it is not error for the judge to intervene without an objection.” 23 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 991, p. 1012. “* * * it is his [the judge’s] duty to supervise and regulate the course of the trial that the truth shall be revealed in so far as it may be within the established rules of evidence. He is not merely a monitor but an important factor in the trial of the case. It i”

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