Commonwealth v. Peyton’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

66 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 66 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"Admission of photographs in a homicide case showing the body of the deceased is largely within the discretion of the trial judge and error will not be predicated by this court on the admission of such exhibits unless there is a flagrant abuse of discretion. The practice of admitting such exhibits unless they have essential evidentiary value is condemned. When the facts that these exhibits would tend to prove can be proved by testimony without the use of photographs which tend the excite the emotions of those who view them, such testimony should be used exclusively and photographs should not be admitted."”

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

2. “In almost any situation — whether the fact of killing is denied, or whether self-defense is pleaded, or whether it is contended that by reason of provocation the killing is reduced to manslaughter — proof of the previous relations of the prisoner and the deceased, whether friendly or hostile or whatnot, is relevant and competent.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Boden