State v. Nixon’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

13 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 13 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “If the defendant is convicted of two or more offenses based on the same act or transaction, or constituting parts of a common scheme or plan, the terms of imprisonment shall be served concurrently unless the court expressly directs that some or all be served consecutively. Other sentences of imprisonment shall be served consecutively unless the court expressly directs that some or all of them be served concurrently.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 260 So. 3d 703 - State v. Allen · 246 So. 3d 866 - State v. Means

2. “The PSI reveals that Nixon's criminal "activity" has spanned 20 years beginning on July 22, 1992, when at age 17, he was charged with illegal possession of stolen things. He was tried, convicted and fined $500. His last criminal charge, felony possession of stolen goods, was committed March 4, 2014, when Nixon was age 38, for which he apparently pled down to misdemeanor possession and received a 6-month sentence. This last charge came after the instant charges were filed against him a year earlier. Between his first and last criminal arrest, Nixon has 19 other arrests for various crimes charged. The 26 crimes included four battery charges, a rape charge, a charge of manslaughter, seven different burglary charges, three theft charges, and several illegal possession of stolen things charges. Most of these offenses charged were nolle prossed for unknown reasons. Others resulted in fines or misdemeanor convictions. However, two of the charges resulted in felony convictions: a conviction for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, and a conviction for simple burglary. Both of these convictions ultimately resulted in prison sentences. In the first, Nixon received a suspended sentence and supervised probation, which was terminated unsatisfactorily, and for the second felony conviction, he received a six-year sentence and was paroled after 2 years, but his parole was revoked due to a drug arrest. Nixon's only prior drug-related arrest noted on the PSI occurred on January 14, 2005, ”

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

3. “The 20-year sentences imposed for each count are quite severe considering that they involved nonviolent, small drug sale offenses-one for $30 and one for $60. However, given Nixon's history of criminal behavior and his past failures to take advantage of opportunities for rehabilitation, we find that the sentences are not unconstitutionally excessive.”

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