Cooper v. Com.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

39 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 39 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “rest[s] in the sound discretion of the trial court.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ferguson Enters., Inc. v. F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. · Hilton v. Commonwealth

2. “Yet, as a review of our decisions will reveal, alibi instructions have been granted in some cases and refused in others when no discernible difference is apparent. Eliminating judicial discretion will promote uniformity where uniformity is desirable, and it is desirable in this instance. Hereafter, the rule will be: grant an alibi instruction when [a scintilla of evidence ] is present, refuse when the evidence is absent.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 64 Va. App. 580 - LaDawn Shrieves King v. Commonwealth of Virginia

3. “when there is `evidence that the accused was elsewhere than at the scene of the crime at the exact time or for the entire period during which it was or could have been committed'”

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