Mitchell v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The verdict must be the considered judgment of each of you. In order to reach a verdict, all of you must agree. Your verdict must be unanimous. You must consult with one another and deliberate with a view to reaching an agreement, if you can do so without violence to your own individual judgment. Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but do so only after an impartial consideration of the evidence with your fellow jurors. During deliberations, do not hesitate to reexamine your own views. You should change your opinion if convinced you are wrong, but do not surrender your honest belief as to the weight or effect of the evidence only because of the opinion of your fellow jurors or for the mere purpose of reaching a verdict.”

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

2. “Under Maryland Rule 4-325(a), '[t]he decision to supplement [jury] instructions and the extent of supplementation are matters left to the sound discretion of the trial judge, whose decision will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of a clear abuse of discretion’”

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

3. “With the exception of death penalty and insanity cases, the sole function of the jury in a criminal case in Maryland is to pass on whether the defendant is guilty as charged, a decision based on the evidence presented at trial and the law pertaining to the case.”

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