Jones v. Com.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[I]t is concerned with preventing a person, who is known to have committed a serious crime in the past, from becoming dangerously armed, regardless of whether that person uses, displays, or conceals the firearm.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 43 Va. App. 490 - Farnsworth v. Commonwealth · 36 Va. App. 312 - Armstrong v. Commonwealth

2. ““When the legislature has spoken plainly courts may not change or amend legislative enactments under the guise of construing them. The province of construction lies wholly within the domain of ambiguity. ... That which is plain needs no interpretation. Winston v. City of Richmond, 196 Va. 403, 407-08 , 83 S.E.2d 728, 731 (1954).””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. 37 Va. App. 240 - Shoup v. Shoup · 36 Va. App. 312 - Armstrong v. Commonwealth

3. “whether the term `firearm' when used in a statute without being defined is to be given its traditional meaning or a more expansive meaning depends upon the purpose and policy underlying the particular statute.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 36 Va. App. 312 - Armstrong v. Commonwealth