State v. Griffin’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Defendant approached a checkpoint marked with blue flashing lights. Once the patrol car lights became visible, defendant stopped in the middle of the road, even though he was not at an intersection, and appeared to attempt a three-point turn by beginning to turn left and continuing onto the shoulder. From the checkpoint!,] Trooper Casner observed defendant’s actions and suspected defendant was attempting to evade the checkpoint. Defendant’s turn in the middle of the road and onto the shoulder was more suspicious than the defendant’s turn onto a connecting street in Foreman and the defendant’s turn into a private driveway in Smith. It is clear that this [c]ourt and the Fourth Circuit have held that even a legal turn, when viewed in the totality of the circumstances, may give rise to reasonable suspicion. Given the place and manner of defendant’s turn in conjunction with his proximity to the checkpoint, we hold there was reasonable suspicion that defendant was violating the law; thus, the stop was constitutional.”

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

2. “Reasonable suspicion is a less demanding standard than probable cause and requires a showing considerably less than preponderance of the evidence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 242 N.C. App. 253 - State v. Sorrell