People v. McLeod’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 federal appellate · 14 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 17 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[W]e construe this argument as a challenge to the legislative classification of guilty persons who are mentally ill vis-a-vis guilty persons who are not. The classification of "mentally ill" in this context has none of the indicia of a suspect class. Because neither a suspect class nor a fundamental right is involved in this classification, it will be upheld in the face of an equal protection challenge under both our federal and state constitutions if it rationally furthers the object of the legislation.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 374 Pa. Super. 549 - Commonwealth v. Trill

2. “Guilty but mentally ill defendants are in a wholly different position than defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity. The former have been found beyond a reasonable doubt to have been 1) guilty of an offense, 2) mentally ill at the time of the commission of the offense, and 3) not legally insane at the time of the offense. They no longer have a right to unfettered liberty. They have been convicted of a crime. 288 N.W.2d at 917 .”

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

3. “[A] guilty but mentally ill defendant has no right to the exercise of unfettered liberty. Such a defendant has been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a judicial proceeding providing the full panoply of rights and protections guaranteed to the criminally accused under both our federal and state constitutions. Such a defendant's liberty may be constitutionally circumscribed by the state.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 374 Pa. Super. 549 - Commonwealth v. Trill