State v. Ransom’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[a]n intent to kill, being a state of mind of the defendant not easily susceptible of proof, ordinarily must be proved by circumstantial evidence from which a jury may reasonably infer intent. The nature of the assault, the manner in which it was made, and the surrounding circumstances are all matters from which an intent to kill may be inferred.... Therefore, our inquiry concerns whether there were sufficient circumstances attendant with the assault which would permit a jury reasonably to infer an intent to kill.”

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

2. “The only difference in what the State must prove for the offense of misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon and felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill is the element of intent to kill. Where all the evidence tends to show a shooting with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, the trial court does not err in refusing to submit the lesser included offense of assault with a deadly weapon.”

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

3. “the State is entitled to rely on reasonable inferences from the circumstances surrounding the assault[.]”

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