Wright v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 15 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 17 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““This type of testimony has often been referred to as an ‘evidential harpoon’ that has been wilfully jabbed into the defendant and then jerked out by an admonition to the jury not to consider the same. This court has never condoned, but often criticized a witness being intoxicated with eagerness in an all out effort to obtain a conviction. We are fully aware that these harpoons are often thrown through inadvertence or ignorance of the law, but we cannot lead ourselves to believe that such was the case. The witness Hagstrom is one with long experience in law enforcement and who now occupies the position of Narcotic Agent of the State of Oklahoma, * * * Surley he was conscious of the rules of evidence that prohibit such actions of a witness. * * * In a trial of a criminal case the issue is singular, as to guilt or innocence: ‘Did the defendant commit the crime charged ?’ and not upon the question, ‘Has the defendant the reputation of committing crime before. * * * * * * Officers are to be commended for their diligence in bringing about the arrest and conviction of law violators, but the fundamental rights afforded by the law and the rules of evidence must not be trampled underneath in their efforts to do so.* * 325 P. 2d at 1093-94 . (Our emphasis)”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. McKinney v. State · White v. State