Singleton v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ * . * * Such a .practice, were it lawful, would certainly not be, á desirable one. The law creates courts and defines their powers. Consent cannot authorize a judge to! do what dhe law .has not given him the power to do. The act of the court in this instance was not a mere irregular exercise of a power. If so, consent would have cured it. But it was an- act beyond' its power. It is the sole province of the grand jury, under our law, to find an indictment. It, and not -the court, must say upon what charge the party shall be arraigned. The grand jury had not accused the defendant of obtaining goods under false pretenses, but with the crime of forgery; and the judge had no power to assume its duties, and alter the charge as fixed-by it. There is a total want of power to thus act. Such a power is unknown to’ the law, and the act is not in conformity to the law of the land. * * * ””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Gross v. Commonwealth · Malone v. Commonwealth