Contee v. United States’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

16 federal appellate · 1 district · 25 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 42 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[A] sound exercise of the trial court's discretion will ordinarily result in bifurcation whenever a defendant shows that he has a substantial insanity defense and a substantial defense on the merits to any element of the charge, either of which would be prejudiced by simultaneous presentation with the other.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Houston v. State · United States v. Grimes

2. “In the instant case, the record shows that in “abandoning” his self-defense defense, appellant was not sacrificing anything of value... It is doubtful that [the] evidence would have required an instruction on self-defense had one been requested. In any event, we think it is too insubstantial to warrant reversal for lack of bifurcation in the circumstances of this case.”

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

3. “At the same time, however . . . the court must depend largely on defense counsel for the relevant information... Defense counsel made only a minimal showing of possible prejudice ... On the basis of what it knew or could reasonably be expected to discover, we do not think the court abused its discretion in denying the motion to bifurcate.”

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