Stephens v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

42 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 42 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “embodies three guarantees: “[i]t protects against a second prosecution for the same offense after aequittai[; i]t protects against a second prosecution for the same offense after convietion[; a]nd it protects against multiple punishments for the same offense.” Virginia’s constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy affords a defendant the same guarantees as the federal Double Jeopardy Clause.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 49 Va. App. 381 - Turner v. Commonwealth · 51 Va. App. 386 - Ostrander v. Commonwealth

2. “the role of the constitutional guarantee is limited to assuring that the court does not exceed its legislative authorization by imposing multiple punishments for the same offense.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 47 Va. App. 114 - Walker v. Commonwealth · West v. DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

3. “applies only to a case involving multiple larceny prosecutions predicated upon the theft of multiple articles stolen contemporaneously.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 41 Va. App. 61 - Schwartz v. Commonwealth · 39 Va. App. 752 - Hines v. Commonwealth