Stephens v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Maryland’s collateral order doctrine has its roots in the important policy underlying the final judgment rule, which is to “prevent piecemeal appeals and ... the interruption of ongoing judicial proceedings.” The doctrine “is very limited,” and permits the immediate appeal of only a “narrow class of orders” that are “offshoots of the principal litigation in which they are issued” and are considered “final judgments without regard to the posture of the case[.]” To come within the collateral order doctrine, the order sought to be reviewed must be one that: “(1) conclusively determines the disputed question, (2) resolves an important issue, (3) resolves an issue that is completely separate from the merits of the action, and (4) would be effectively unreviewable if the appeal had to await the entry of a final judgment.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 204 Md. App. 418 - Adams v. State

2. “prevent piecemeal appeals and . . . the interruption of ongoing judicial proceedings.”

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