United States v. Behrens’s Empirical Analysis
1963
Citation profile
258 federal appellate · 24 district · 79 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 422 later decisions (4 by the Supreme Court) — most recently June 2026 · most notably United States v. Barker (1975), Thomas v. Brewer (1991)
258 federal appellate · 24 district · 79 state decisions — followed in 16 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Appellate journey
reviewedBehrens v. United States (from Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals)
Relationships
Relies on Silver v. New York Stock Exchange · Behrens v. United States · Corey v. United States
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 422 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“(t)he whole point of using (§ 4205(c)) is, in its own language, to get 'more detailed information as a basis for determining the sentence To be imposed . . ..' (Emphasis supplied.)”
9 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“(c) If the court desires more detailed information as a basis for determining the sentence to be imposed, the court may commit the defendant to the custody of the Attorney General, which commitment shall be deemed to be for the maximum sentence of imprisonment prescribed by law, for a study described in subsection (d) of this section. The results of such study, together with any recommendations which the Director of the Bureau of Prisons believes would be helpful in determining the disposition of the case, shall be furnished to the court within three (3) months unless the court grants time, not to exceed an additional three (3) months, for study. After receiving such reports and recommendations, the court may in its discretion: (1) place the offender on probation as authorized by section 3651; or (2) affirm the sentence of imprisonment originally imposed, or reduce the sentence of imprisonment, and commit the offender under any applicable provision of law. The term of sentence shall run from the date of original commitment under this section.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence““If the court desires more detailed information as a basis for determining the sentence to be imposed, the court may commit the defendant to the custody of the Attorney General, which commitment shall be deemed to be for the maximum sentence of imprison-. ment prescribed by law, for a study as described in subsection (c) hereof. * * * After receiving such reports and recommendations, the court may In its discretion: (1) Place the prisoner on probation as authorized by section 3651 of this title, or (2) affirm the sentence of imprisonment originally imposed, or reduce the sentence of imprisonment, and commit the offender under any applicable provision of law. The term of the sentence shall run from date of original com-”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.