Johnson v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

23 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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “arguments over money are not serious provocations requiring a voluntary manslaughter charge, nor in general are any words alone sufficient. See Gresham v. State, 289 Ga. 103, 104 ( 709 SE2d 780 ) (2011) (holding that no voluntary manslaughter charge was required based on an argument over money). See also Merritt v. State, 292 Ga. 327, 331 ( 737 SE2d 673 ) (2013) (“As a matter of law, angry statements alone ordinarily do not amount to ‘serious provocation’ within the meaning of OCGA § 16-5-2 (a).”).”

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

2. “[I]f there should have been an interval between the provocation and the killing sufficient for the voice of reason and humanity to be heard, ... the killing shall be attributed to deliberate revenge and be punished as murder.”

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

3. “'[T]he provocation required to mitigate malice is that which would arouse a heat of passion in a reasonable person'; whether the provocation was sufficient to provoke deadly passion in the particular defendant is irrelevant.”

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