State v. Laws’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

107 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 107 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “`[t]he trial court is not required to instruct upon a statutory mitigating circumstance unless substantial evidence has been presented to the jury which would support a reasonable finding by the jury of the existence of the circumstance.'”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. DeCastro · State v. Zuniga

2. “A mistrial should be granted only when there are improprieties in the trial so serious that they substantially and irreparably prejudice the defendant's case and make it impossible for the defendant to receive a fair and impartial verdict.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Ward · State v. Ward

3. “1) Wayne Alan Laws has not been previously convicted of a felony involving the use of or threatened use of violence to the person. . . . 2) . . . Wayne Alan Laws [has] been a good, dependable and responsible employee .... 3) . . . The capacity of Wayne Alan Laws to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was impaired [by alcohol]. . . . 4) . . . Wayne Alan Laws has helped to support his family. . . . 5) . . . Any other circumstances arising from the evidence ....”

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