247 Pa. Super. 386 - Commonwealth v. Bryant’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

16 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 16 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “to hold that the trial judge must make a binding ruling on the admissibility of the convictions before the defense has presented any evidence would serve to remove the most crucial factor by which the judge is to be guided in making his ruling that being whether or not appellant has any means of presenting a defense other than by taking the stand himself.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 320 Pa. Super. 19 - Commonwealth v. Gonce · 356 Pa. Super. 83 - Commonwealth v. Stinnett

2. “... the age and nature of the prior crimes; the length of the criminal record; the age and circumstances of the defendant; the extent to which it is more important to search for truth in a particular case for the jury to hear the defendant’s story than to know of a prior conviction. This last factor is of critical importance. Where the defendant has no other means by which to defend himself, it would be particularly unjust to subject him to the introduction of prior convictions. Or where the prior conviction is not critically important to the Commonwealth’s case—e.g. where other adequate means of attacking defendant’s credibility are available—exclusion of prior convictions is strongly indicated.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 320 Pa. Super. 19 - Commonwealth v. Gonce