United States v. Richards’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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

1. “It is clear that the people at the shelter who heard Defendant’s threats perceived them as serious ... Miller notified the shelter security personnel. Miller also remained close at hand when Blitman spoke to Defendant in case she needed further assistance. The people in the dinner line moved away from Defendant as he made these threats ... and, at one point, Miller himself registered fear. All of these reactions are evidence that reasonable people perceived Defendant’s statements to be serious threats. Most significantly, the staff at the shelter decided to remove Defendant from the shelter. They did not want to allow someone who was talking about shooting Hillary Clinton and killing white people to remain at the shelter overnight. They were afraid that he might lose control. Defendant was involuntarily committed at the Hall Mercer Clinic.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. United States v. Richards

2. “[T]he phrase “willfully” as used in § 879 requires only that the Government dem onstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that “a reasonable person would foresee that the statement would be interpreted by those to whom the maker communicates the statement as a serious expression of an intention to inflict bodily harm upon or take the life of’ Senator Clinton.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. United States v. Richards