Roberts v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

57 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 62 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “There is one final statement in the majority’s discussion of this point that I find troublesome. The majority correctly holds that a jury’s finding that an aggravating circumstance exists beyond a reasonable doubt must be supported by “substantial evidence.” It suggests, however, relying on language in the 1980 Miller case, that a trial court may submit an aggravating circumstance to the jury if the State introduces “any evidence, however slight,” in support of the aggravating circumstance. The “substantial evidence” standard clearly requires a greater quantum of proof than the “any evidence, however slight” standard. The problem with the majority’s suggestion, then, is obvious. A rule allowing a trial court to submit an aggravating circumstance to the jury upon a lower evidentiary threshold, such as “any evidence, however slight,” will always result in a reversal if a jury finds the existence of an aggravating circumstance when the evidence supporting the aggravating circumstance is anything less than “substantial.” Thus, if this Court is to apply the “substantial evidence” standard in reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a jury’s finding that an aggravated circumstance exists, then that is the standard that a trial court should apply in determining whether to submit an aggravating circumstance to the jury. For the sake of judicial economy, a trial court should not submit an aggravating circumstance to the jury unless there is substantial evidence, not merely”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Thessing v. State · Dimas-Martinez v. State

2. “BY THE COURT: Court will be in session. We’re here on the matter of CR-99-70, State of Arkansas versus Karl Douglas Roberts. Let the record reflect that Mr. Roberts is in the courtroom. Mr. Roberts, the hearing today is for a number of reasons, most importantly is to consider some rights that you may have under Rule 37.5 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure. To get to that, let me review for you what has occurred up to now. I was not the judge that presided over your trial and so part of this is for my benefit as well as for yours. On May 19, 2000, you were sentenced to death by lethal injection for capital murder of Andrea (sic) Brewer in this courtroom and that was by a jury which unanimously found that you had committed the crime and should receive the sentence of death. On June 13, 2000 you filed with the court a written.waiver of appeal requesting that the death sentence be carried out without an attorney taking further action to challenge the sentence. On July 19, 2000 a hearing was held before the Court regarding that waiver. You testified at that time and made it clear that it was your wish, after being fully advised of all your options, to fore-go any challenge to your sentence. BY MR. ROBERTS: Yes. BY THE COURT: The Court at that time found that your waiver was knowing and intelligence — intelligently given. Under the Rules of Arkansas Criminal Procedure, your sentence was automatically reviewed by the Arkansas Supreme Court both with regard to the waiver of ”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Roberts v. Norris

3. “was ambiguous and not specific enough to be viewed as a false promise to get the defendant a reduced charge or a lesser sentence if he confessed. Likewise in Brown , supra , the supreme court held that an officer's statement to the defendant that”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Williams v. State