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

1. “A search warrant serves as the officer’s authority to make the search and seizure as well as his directions as to where to search and what to seize. We have no statute in Arkansas requiring the officer to exhibit or reveal the search warrant at the time of the search but, as a matter of course, he must reveal his identity and his authority when requested to do so by the owner, occupant or one in rightful possession of the property to be searched or the thing to be seized. We are of the opinion, and so hold, that the description of the property as set out in the search warrant was sufficient, and that it was not necessary for the officers to notify Easley of the impending search or to serve the search warrant on him.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Russ v. City of Camden

2. “Moreover, it is held that the word “particularly” in the constitution requiring such a description means that the description must be such that any person familiar with the locality can by inquiring identify the premises described. * i» * * * * Thus since houses in rural communities are commonly known by the name of the owner rather than by any technical legal description, a description of rural property as the premises occupied by a named person may be held sufficient, even though the property is incorrectly described as to section and range. Likewise the description may be sufficient if the farm is named and the particular district disregarded.”

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

3. ““A search warrant is directed to the officer who is to make the search and Easley does not contend that the officers searched the wrong house under the warrant. Common sense dictates that the constitutional requirement that a search warrant contain a particular description of the property to be searched, is designed and intended to aid the officers in locating the right property to be searched, as well as to protect innocent property owners from unreasonable searches and seizures and prevent officers from searching the wrong property.””

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