State v. Ray’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

88 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 88 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “A valid bill of indictment is essential to the jurisdiction of the Superior Court to try an accused for a felony and have the jury determine his guilt or innocence, 'and to give authority to the court to render a valid judgment.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 243 N.C. App. 728 - State v. Harris · 191 N.C. App. 253 - State v. Herring

2. ““ . . . The trial court properly refused to strike out the evidence that laboratory tests of the F.B.I. showed that on the lower front portion of the sweater and on the left sleeve of the sweater turned over to the police by Mary Ann Gibson were reddish brown smears that came from human blood, for the simple reason that the jury could make a reasonable inference from the evidence that the sweater was a garment worn by the defendant at the time named in the indictment, and bore stains corroborative of the State’s theory of the case. S. v. Speller, 230 N.C. 345 , 53 S.E. 2d 294 ; S. v. Bass, 249 N.C. 209 , 105 S.E. 2d 645 ; People v. Hartley (Dist. Ct. of Appeals), 17 Cal. Rptr. 286 . For the same reason the court properly admitted into evidence the testimony of a special agent of the F.B.I., whose particular specialty is the microscopic examination of hairs and fibers, textile material, and related materials in criminal cases, that on the sweater introduced in evidence there was hair possessing Negro characteristics. Nicholas v. State (Court of Criminal Appeals), 270 S.W. 555 ; People v. Kirkwood, 17 Ill. 2d 23 , 160 N.E. 2d 766 ; 75 C.J.S. Rape §§47 and 59. “The court properly admitted into evidence the expert testimony that hair possessing Negro characteristics was found in the debris of Mrs. Jeane Daily’s automobile where the alleged rape took place. Certainly no constitutional rights of defendant were violated by the search of Mrs. Jeane Daily’s automobile.” (Emphasis ours”

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

3. ““There is nothing in the record to show or to suggest that any of the jurors had formed an opinion in respect to the guilt or innocence of the defendant. To hold that a prospective juror was disqualified for jury service in a particular case merely because he had read of it or listened to it over television or radio would mean that in a case that was given publicity in the newspapers or on the radio and television, only the most illiterate or ignorant jurors would be qualified. That would be an absurd result.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 6 N.C. App. 455 - State v. Penley