State v. Donovan’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 federal appellate · 8 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. ““Also, quite apart from the statute which has been explained to you, the common law endeavors to safeguard human life against the reckless use of firearms and the negligent handling of a loaded firearm causing death to another is manslaughter at common law. “Therefore, if you find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant negligently and recklessly handled a loaded firearm, which act was the proximate cause of the death of the decedent, Arthur Webster, and if such act was not performed under circumstances amounting to murder in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter, then your verdict should be guilty of involuntary manslaughter.” (Emphasis supplied.)”

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

2. “. . whether what was said to the prisoner induced a belief that a confession would place him in a better condition than he was before the confession; which would be holding out to him a real benefit.””

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