335 Pa. Super. 560 - Commonwealth v. Garvin’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

79 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 79 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “We cannot emphasize strongly enough, however, that our inquiry ceases and counsel’s assistance is deemed constitutionally effective once we are able to conclude that the particular course chosen by counsel had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his client’s interests. The test is not whether other alternatives were more reasonable, employing a hindsight evaluation of the record. Although weigh the alternatives we must, the balance tips in favor of a finding of effective assistance as soon as it is determined that trial counsel’s decisions had any reasonable basis.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 363 Pa. Super. 562 - Commonwealth v. Davis

2. “The [Garvin plurality] would require that the defendant bear the burden of proving that counsel’s ineffective representation so prejudiced his case that he was deprived of a fair trial. That is, ‘[a] finding that [the defendant] is entitled to a new trial cannot be made unless it can be concluded that the alternatives not chosen offered a potential for success substantially greater than the tactics actually utilized, resulting in prejudice to the defendant.’”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 349 Pa. Super. 552 - Commonwealth v. Manhart