State v. Mitchell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. “[T]he plain error rule ... is always to be applied cautiously and only in the exceptional case where, after reviewing the entire record, it can be said the claimed error is a “fundamental error, something so basic, so prejudicial, so lacking in its elements that justice cannot be done,” or “where [the error] is grave error which amounts to a denial of a fundamental right of the accused,” or the error has “resulted in a miscarriage of justice or in the denial to appellant of a fair trial” or where the error is such as to “seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings” or where it can be fairly said “the instructional mistake had a probable impact on the jury’s findings that the defendant was guilty.””

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

2. “The results of polygraph testing have been held inadmissible in North Carolina . . . . However, the mere mention of polygraph testing does not necessitate appellate relief.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 175 N.C. App. 795 - State v. Locklear