3 Va. App. 459 - Sisk v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

22 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 22 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “provide[s] the basis for [our] subsequent finding that [Cruz] knew and understood that he ha[d] a right to be present at trial and that he might waive or forfeit that right by his absence. [Thus], the record [provides] prima facie evidence of [Cruz’s] knowing forfeiture or waiver of his right to be present.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Cruz v. Commonwealth · 24 Va. App. 454 - Cruz v. Commonwealth

2. “We believe the waiver of the right to be present at trial should be treated with at least the same dignity as the defendant’s exercise of his right to be tried by a jury. We regard the waiver of the right to be present of no lesser importance than other rights. We do not regard the bond warning as a sufficient basis upon which to find a knowing and intelligent waiver because the bond may have been too casually considered in this case for the defendant to have known the consequences of his act, and there is no other evidence that the defendant knew or should have known or understood the consequences of his action.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 13 Va. App. 187 - Hunter v. Commonwealth