26 Va. App. 27 - Mitchell v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 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 7 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “In the present case, the evidence is undisputed that the roads around and in the condominium complex have always been open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Access by the public has never been denied by guards, gates, or any other device. The only signs read: “Private Property, No Soliciting.” (Emphasis added.) Clearly, the purpose of the signs is to prohibit soliciting, not the entry of motor vehicles operated by members of the public. Because Furman has not rebutted this evidence and the resulting presumption that the public has full and unrestricted access to the parking area, we hold that the area is a “highway” as defined by Code § 46.1-1(10).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 54 Va. App. 408 - Seaborn v. Commonwealth

2. “[T]he test for determining whether a way is a `highway' depends upon the degree to which the way is open to public use for vehicular traffic.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 55 Va. App. 653 - Roseborough v. Commonwealth