Atkins v. State’s Empirical Analysis
2011
Citation profile
42
cited by 42 later decisions
3
states following
October 2022
most recently cited
40 state decisions
Relationships
Relies on Yamamoto v. United States · In re Geschke · Maravilla v. United States · State v. Evans · Commonwealth v. Bowden
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.
“During this trial, you have heard testimony of witnesses and may hear argument of counsel that the State did not utilize a specific investigative technique or scientific test. You may consider these facts in deciding whether the State has met its burden of proof. You should consider all of the evidence or lack of evidence in deciding whether the defendant is guilty. However, I instruct you that there is no legal requirement that the State utilize any specific investigative technique or scientific test to prove its case. Your responsibility as jurors is to determine whether the State has proven based upon the evidence the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
6 later decisions quote this exact passage“[t]he evidence lacking here could have been direct evidence to affirmatively linking the knife introduced to the alleged assaults.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage“[t]he instruction did not adequately protect Atkins's right to a fair trial because the instruction invaded the province of the jury and constituted commentary on the weight of the evidence, which comment was improper. As stated by Atkins, it was the jury's function to determine what inferences were to be drawn from the police officer's failure to test the knife for DNA evidence. But the trial judge usurped this role. Basically, the instruction directed the jury to ignore the fact that the State had not presented evidence connecting the knife to the crime, implying that the lack of such evidence is not necessary or relevant to the determination of guilt, and to disregard any argument by defense to the contrary. In the words of Petitioner's counsel at oral argument before this court, 'the instruction effectively plugged a hole in the State's case.'”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.