Vanessa Cameron v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[THE COURT]: We recognize their right to be present during the voir dire. I’m looking around the courtroom, and the jury panel — we have 65 jury panel members that are going to be here.. I notice' for the record that every single chair that we have available for attorneys that come in during trial and every chair that we;have available for other people have been removed and placed in the jury area because that is the only way we can accommodate the number of jurors in this courtroom.., ■ , ■ So we’re talking about 65 jury panel members. It’s going to take up a huge majority of this courtroom, plus counsel table. I don’t see any room whatsoever where anybody else would- be able to sit and observe. Now, during — before we called the case, we saw a pretty significant number of family members that were walking in. There is no way this courtroom can accommodate them, and I certainly appreciate the security concerns of the State — excuse me, of the sheriffs department. It is a public trial. It’s an open trial. Certainly people have the opportunity to observe. We just don’t know where to put them, Mr. Esparza. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Judge, is the Court overruling my objection? [THE COURT]: No, I’m riot ruling. I’m just telling you, where can we put them? Where are we going to put them? [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: .1 understand, Judge. [THE COURT]: I’m not overruling you. Where are we going to put them? [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: And I still request a ruling from the Court. [THE COURT]: Well; you’re — yo”

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

2. “1. The Court never ruled that observers were excluded from the voir dire dr any other part of the trial in this case. 2. The defense attorney in this case seemed intent on objecting' to a ruling that was not made (members of the public were not excluded from watching voir dire proceedings), and he did not seem serious about bringing members of the defendant’s family or her friends back into the courtroom to observe. 3. Prior to the venire panel entering the courtroom, the defense attorney never requested the Court to allow him to go outside and bring the defendant’s family and friends into the courtroom; nor did he ask for a break to call family and friends to come -into the courtroom. The Court made it clear that the public was not excluded from the courtroom. 4. The Court offered to open up the doors in the back of the court and let the public observe from the hall area. 5. The Court attempted to find places for the public to observe from. 6. Suggestions were offered to the attorney'for the defense regarding placement of observers, both on and off the record. 7. Both on and off the record, suggestions were requested from the defense attorney as to where he would like the observers to be placed in the courtroom. 8. Besides the time when the Court’s bailiffs cleared the courtroom to bring the venirepanel in and get the panel seated, on two other occasions (one involving a venireman' who had a medical episode and another involving a security alarm) the courtroom had to be clea”

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

3. “I later asked the bailiff that morning [whether] I could enter the courtroom and just sit on the floor and was told that there was no room and that I was not permitted in the courtroom. I thereafter left the courthouse, as did the other relatives and friends, since it was apparent that we were not going to be let into the courtroom. I later learned that the court was willing to allow me personally to enter the courtroom and watch the remainder of voir dire in the afternoon, but I had already left the courthouse by that point and there was not going to be any allowance for the rest of our family or Vanessa’s friends or the general public. I never did see jury selection in my, daughter’s case and do not know what happened in that courtroom after the bailiff excluded me.”

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