State v. Norris’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

12 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 12 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “‘"The record is entirely barren of proof of any words spoken by appellant which may be said to characterize his act as done with intent to rob rather than to commit some other felony.’ Nevertheless, holding the evidence sufficient to sustain a conviction of assault with intent to rob with malice, we said: ‘The weight of authority and indeed the dictates of common sense require us to hold in' the case at bar that the intent in the mind of appellant at the time he made the assault upon Clark was a matter peculiarly within the province of the jury to determine from all the facts and circumstances in evidence, including the words spoken by appellant. The jury had the right to find from such evidence that appellant intended to rob Clark when he jumped out of his automobile and placed his pistol against Clark’s body and commanded him to ‘get into this car.’ * * * In determining the intent of appellant, the jurors had the right to avail themselves of their own knowledge of the usual and ordinary happenings of life and to apply such knowledge to the particular facts and circumstances in evidence in the case at bar. It was for the jurors to say whether such facts and circumstances, measured by their own knowledge and experience of the affairs of life, pointed to the intent of appellant in assaulting Clark as, that of robbing him.’ ””

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