Vaughn v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

24 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 26 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ ‘The Court charges the jury that the only burden resting on the Defendant with regard to his plea of self-defense is that the Defendant must offer such evidence in support of such plea as will, when considered with the whole evidence, generate in the minds of the jury a reasonable doubt of his guilt.’ ””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Wilson v. State · 55 Ala. App. 562 - Cooper v. State

2. “"... Now, the defendant comes in here, as I say, presumed to be innocent, and the burden is not cast upon him to prove anything to you, gentlemen. He can just more or less let the State prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty; but in this case, he claims and alleges that he is not guilty of the offense of murder in any degree, and he says under the pleadings in this case that even if he did in fact kill the deceased, and he does not admit it by this plea, but he says if you should find from the evidence that has come to you in this case that he did in fact bring about the death of the deceased, he nevertheless is not guilty of any degree of murder because under the doctrine of self defense, he was justified in this instance in taking the life of the deceased, and he claims that the evidence shows to you gentlemen that he was in fact not guilty because he had a legal right under the circumstances to defend himself. "Now, it is necessary, of course, for you gentlemen and it is important for you to understand what we mean when we use the term self defense in law, and as I say, under his plea of not guilty in this case, he, without admitting the facts necessary to be proven by the State to make out a case of criminal homicide under the indictment, he says the facts themselves set up self defense. "Now under certain conditions, gentlemen, and as I say, it is important for you to understand what these conditions are, which the law has laid down, which must be sh”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 380 So. 2d 946 - Traweek v. State

3. ““Our cases state the rule to be that if all the evidence raises in the minds of the jury a reasonable doubt as to whether he acted in self-defense, the defendant should be acquitted.” [[Image here]] “[I]t is reversible error for the trial judge to orally charge the jury that the burden of proof in self-defense rests upon the defendant.” (Emphasis added.)”

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