Berry v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

21 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 21 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The plain-view doctrine came into play when one officer looked into the vehicle and saw what he recognized as narcotics paraphernalia. The officer then had probable cause for believing that other areas in the car might contain contraband. A thorough search of the vehicle was therefore warranted. The officers were justified in searching the briefcase, just as a search of a suitcase was upheld in similar circumstances in United States v. Finnegan, 568 F.2d 637 (9th Cir. 1977).”

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

2. “Were we to rule that Chadwick applies here and renders the search of the suitcase illegal, inconsistent and contradictory results would follow. For instance, a police officer could search and seize a brick of marijuana lying inside the trunk of a car but not a brick of marijuana lying inside a suitcase in the trunk of a car.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Cooper v. Commonwealth

3. “persons having contraband drugs in their possession could prevent a search for such drugs in an automobile simply by carrying the articles in a suitcase rather than in a sack or in a box.”

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