McClain v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ * * * It is not the extent of the questioning of the defendant which is prohibited by the statute, but the manner in which it is conducted. A defendant in custody may freely and voluntarily answer many questions and in no manner be ‘sweated’. On the other hand, a single question accompanied by a threat may violate the statute. The ‘plying with questions’ * * * means ‘the persistent and repeated propounding of inquiries to elicit a desired answer, carried to such an extent that the prisoner feels required to answer as the questioner wishes in order to escape from the pressure.’ * * * ””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Bauer v. Commonwealth

2. ““The ‘plying with questions’ forbidden by Section 1649b-l means ‘the persistent and repeated propounding of inquiries to elicit a desired answer, carried to such an extent that the prisoner feels required to answer as the questioner wishes in order to escape from the pressure.’ ””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Curtis v. Commonwealth