Bishop v. Com.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

31 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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “`[t]he burden is on the Commonwealth to prove every essential element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.' This fundamental precept has been the bedrock of Virginia's criminal jurisprudence since the inception of this Commonwealth.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Thompson v. Com. · Crawford v. Com.

2. “No license to drive motor vehicles in Virginia shall be issued to any person determined or adjudicated an habitual offender (i) for a period of ten years from the date of any final order of a court entered under this article or if no such order was entered then the notice of the determination by the Commissioner finding the person to be an habitual offender and (ii) until the privilege of the person to drive a motor vehicle in the Commonwealth has been restored by an order of a court entered in a proceeding as provided in this article.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 63 Va. App. 383 - George E. Boone, a/k/a George Edward Boone, Jr. v. Commonwealth of Virginia

3. “the burden of proof upon the [Commonwealth] in a criminal case was given constitutional status in In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364 [ 90 S.Ct. 1068, 1073 , 25 L.Ed.2d 368 ] (1970) wherein the [United States Supreme] Court stated "that the Due Process Clause protects the accused against conviction except upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt of every fact necessary to constitute the crime with which he is charged."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Crawford v. Com.