Townsend v. Com.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

35 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 35 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[o]n appellate review, this Court must give deference to the circuit court’s determination whether to exclude a prospective juror because that court was able to see and hear each member of the venire respond to questions posed. The circuit court is in a superior position to determine whether a prospective juror’s responses during voir dire indicate that the juror would be prevented from or impaired in performing the duties of a juror as required by the court’s instructions and the juror’s oath.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 60 Va. App. 262 - Garcia v. Commonwealth · Roberts v. CSX Transp., Inc.

2. “Public confidence in the integrity of the judicial system, as a ground for excluding a juror for cause, must be raised in the trial court or that issue is waived.... Any "implication” arising from ... prior decision[s] that the question of public confidence may be raised in any appeal when a motion to strike a juror for cause has been denied, regardless of whether it was properly raised below is expressly rejected. The trial court must be apprised of the basis upon which a public confidence objection to a juror is made and the other litigants given an opportunity to address the trial court on that matter.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Manneh Vay v. Commonwealth of Virginia

3. “a trial court's denial of a motion to strike a juror for cause `will not be disturbed on appeal unless there has been manifest error amounting to an abuse of discretion.'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Roberts v. CSX Transp., Inc.