Edwards v. Patterson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 5 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 9 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It is concededly improper and reversible error to comment on the failure of a defendant to testify in his own behalf, and the test' is whether the language used was manifestly intended or was of such character that the jury would naturally and necessarily take it to be a comment on the failure of the accused to testify. Morrison v. United States, 8th Cir., 6 F.2d 809 . It is not improper for the government to draw attention to the failure or lack of evidence on a point if it is not intended to call attention to the failure of the defendant to testify.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Pierson · 444 F. Supp. 309 - Heffelfinger v. Thompson