State v. Coffey’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 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 41 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[W]e are guided by the principle of statutory construction that a statute should not be interpreted in a manner which would render any of its words superfluous. We construe each word of a statute to have meaning, where reasonable and consistent with the entire statute, because it is always presumed that the legislature acted with care and deliberation.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 246 N.C. App. 139 - State v. Johnson · State v. Morgan

2. “In State v. Goodman, 298 N.C. 1 , 257 S.E.2d 569 (1979), we held that [the aggravating circumstance found at N.C.G.S. § 15A-2000(e)(3)] does not include crimes committed after the murder. Recognizing the relationship between this circumstance and the mitigator pertaining to defendant’s history of prior criminal activity, it has been stated: “Just as prior conviction of a felony involving violence is designated an aggravating circumstance, the absence of any significant history of prior criminal activity calls for mitigation of sentence.” II Model Penal Code § 210.6 commentary at 137 (1980). To the extent that the mitigating circumstance of “no significant history of prior criminal activity” is related to the aggravating circumstance that “defendant had been previously convicted of a felony involving the use or threat of violence,” it seems clear that the legislature intended the same time frame to be used in both circumstances. Thus, the aggravating circumstance in N.C.G.S. § 15A-2000(e)(3) is some indication that the mitigating circumstance of no significant history of prior criminal activity does not include crimes committed after the murder.”

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

3. “The expert may testify in terms of opinion or inference and give his reasons therefor without prior disclosure of the underlying facts or data, unless an adverse party requests otherwise, in which event the expert will be required to disclose such underlying facts or data on direct examination or voir dire before stating the opinion. The expert may in any event be required to disclose the underlying facts or data on cross-examination. There shall be no requirement that expert testimony be in response to a hypothetical question.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. State v. Wallace