Brown v. State’s Empirical Analysis
1977
Citation profile
76 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 76 later decisions — most recently August 2019 · most notably Hillard v. State (1979), Grandison v. State (1986)
76 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Caminetti v. United States · State v. Wolery · Watson v. State · Newman v. State · State v. Begyn
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 76 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“"Not much in the way of evidence corroborative of the accomplice’s testimony has been required by our cases ... while the corroborative evidence need not be sufficient in itself to convict, it must relate to material facts tending either (1) to identify the accused with the perpetrators of the crime or (2) to show the participation of the accused in the crime itself ... if with some degree of cogency the corroborative evidence tends to establish either of these matters the trier of fact may credit the accomplice’s testimony even with respect to matters as to which no corroboration was adduced ... and indeed may even be circumstantial. . . .” (Citations omitted).”
14 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“"The reason for the rule requiring the testimony of an accomplice to be corroborated is that it is the testimony of a person admittedly contaminated with guilt, who admits his participation in the crime for which he particularly blames the defendant, and it should be regarded with great suspicion and caution, because otherwise the life or liberty of an innocent person might be taken away by a witness who makes the accusation either to gratify his malice or to shield himself from punishment, or in the hope of receiving clemency by turning State’s evidence. People v. Sapp, 282 Ill. 51 , 118 N.E. 416, 422 ; United States v. Van Leuven, 65 F. 78, 82 .” 208 Md. at 217 .”
6 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“"But the undoubted fact is that the experience of the Courts, which is certainly much greater than that of juries, is that it is unsafe, at least in the great majority of cases, to rest a conviction upon the uncorroborated evidence of an accomplice. Any one who has had experience at nisi prius trials knows how captivating is the story of one relating the circumstances connected with some mysterious crime. When such an one has as a motive the prospect of freedom, a milder sentence or the favor of the officers who have him in charge, an innocent one may undoubtedly be made to suffer, if great caution is not used. Hence it would seem to be safer to require some corroboration ....” 116 Md. at 293 . 1”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. In re Anthony W. · Turner v. State
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.