284 Pa. Super. 170 - Commonwealth v. Pifer’s Empirical Analysis
1981
Citation profile
30 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 30 later decisions — most recently May 2024 · most notably 344 Pa. Super. 108 - Commonwealth v. Williams (1985), 368 Pa. Super. 488 - Commonwealth v. Conway (1987)
30 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 Neil v. Biggers · Clewis v. Texas · Commonwealth Ex Rel. Moszczynski v. Ashe · Commonwealth v. Goosby · Commonwealth v. Demmitt
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 30 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[T]he test to be applied in determining the legal sufficiency of his mental capacity to stand trial, or enter a plea at the time involved, is not the M’Naghten ‘right or wrong’ test, but rather his ability to comprehend his position as one accused of murder and to cooperate with his counsel, in making a rational defense ... Or stated another way, did he have sufficient ability at the pertinent time to consult with his lawyers with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and have a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him. A man’s right to a fair trial and a meaningful defense strike at the heart of due process of the law. If a defendant is incapable of cooperating with his defense counsel, because of mental illness he cannot take advantage of the basic protections the law affords to all men ... legal counsel is an absolute necessity in a criminal trial, and yet, if a man is provided with counsel, but unable to cooperate with his counsel because of mental illness, the protections which counsel can provide become a nullity.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage“Although novel, appellant’s argument misses the mark. He was not placed in double jeopardy because he was alleged to have committed upon the complainant two different acts: “involuntary deviate sexual intercourse” by placing his penis inside her mouth, and “rape” by allegedly forcing his penis into the vagina. The proof of rape failed to establish penetration, and it was clearly correct for judgment to have been arrested as to the verdict of guilty of rape. We are not impressed by appellant’s refusal to acknowledge that deviate sexual intercourse differs from sexual intercourse, as it is considered in its ordinary meaning, because of its aspect of deviateness. What may be an ambiguity in the definitions of actions made criminal will not cloud our applying common sense understanding to the facts. It was not error for appellant to have been indicted and tried for the instant two crimes, albeit that proof of the rape charge did not sustain conviction on that charge.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage“We once again hold that the language defining the crime of rape refers to sexual intercourse in its ordinary meaning. By forcibly placing his penis in the victim’s vagina, appellant committed the crime of rape, and by forcibly engaging in oral sex with the victim, he committed involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Appellant’s acts constituted two separate and distinct crimes, and he was therefore properly charged with both rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage
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.