McMillan v. Com.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

47 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 47 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “`unless it appears from the evidence that the judgment is plainly wrong or without evidence to support it.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 54 Va. App. 379 - Pressley v. Com. · Com. v. Anderson

2. “The notations on the document captioned “Office Contacts & Court Proceedings” were made by an unknown scrivener [from the JDR court] and facts regarding the nature or type of conviction cannot be inferred from the notes. At best, the notes indicate that the defendant pled guilty to an offense and that as a disposition, McMillan was released from outreach detention. However, a finder of fact cannot infer from the notes of the unknown scrivener that McMillan pled guilty to, or was convicted, of a felony.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 62 Va. App. 285 - Dwayne A. Farmer v. Commonwealth of Virginia

3. ““Evidence which has no tendency to prove guilt, but only serves to prejudice an accused, should be excluded on the ground of lack of relevancy. For evidence to be admissible it must relate and be confined to the matters in issue and tend to prove an offense or be pertinent thereto. Evidence of collateral facts or those incapable of affording any reasonable presumption or inference on matters in issue, because too remote or irrelevant, cannot be accepted in evidence.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 61 Va. App. 502 - Jayquane D. Perry v. Commonwealth of Virginia