State v. Wakefield’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

20 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 21 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “By definition, when the Government fails to prove a defendant guilty ..., the defendant is considered legally innocent.... `[T]he acquitted defendant is to be treated as innocent and in the interests of fairness and finality made no more to answer for his alleged crime.'”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Ross · State v. Scott

2. “The general judicial hostility toward evidence of other crimes is well known and justifiable, e.g., McCormick, Evidence, 2nd ed., 447. There is too great a chance that the jury will punish for past crimes even if uncertain about present ones. Consequently, such evidence is admissible only if falling within carefully enumerated categories which for a particular reason have especially great probative value. Minnesota Rules of Evidence, Rule 404(b). Yet, even when so restricted, evidence of other crimes has still troubled courts, including this one. At length in State v. Spreigl, 272 Minn. 488 , 139 N.W.2d 167 (1965) we expressed our misgivings about this evidence and repeated that doubtful cases must be resolved in favor of excluding the evidence.”

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

3. “[i]t may even be at times that evidence of another crime of which the defendant has been acquitted may still meet the * * * standard of being clear and convincing.”

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