State v. Lester’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

36 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 36 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[I]t is not the province of appellate courts to decide moot questions, disconnected from the granting of actual relief or from the determination of which no practical relief can follow .... In determining mootness, the dispositive question is whether a successful appeal would benefit the plaintiff or defendant in any way.... Where an appellant fails to challenge all bases for a trial court's adverse ruling on his claim, even if this court were to agree with the appellant on the issues that he does raise, we still would not be able to provide [him] any relief in light of the binding adverse finding[s] [not raised] with respect to those claims.... Therefore, when an appellant challenges a trial court's adverse ruling, but does not challenge all independent bases for that ruling, the appeal is moot.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 175 Conn. App. 651 - Windsor Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Reliable Mechanical Contractors, LLC · 176 Conn. App. 637 - State v. Danovan T.

2. “The fundamental principles underpinning the mootness doctrine are well settled.... Because courts are established to resolve actual controversies, before a claimed controversy is entitled to a resolution on the merits it must be justiciable. Justiciability requires (1) that there be an actual controversy between or among the parties to the dispute ... (2) that the interests of the parties be adverse ... (3) that the matter in controversy be capable of being adjudicated by the judicial power ... and (4) that the determination of the controversy will result in practical relief to the complainant.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Macdermid, Inc. v. Leonetti

3. “[T]he trial court granted the state's motion ... to exclude evidence of the victim's prior allegation ... on the grounds that: it was not admissible under the rape shield statute because the defendant had not provided credible evidence that it was false; it was remote in time; it was dissimilar from the victim's allegation against the defendant; and it was a collateral issue that would confuse the jury.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 174 Conn. App. 488 - State v. Holley