State v. Anaya’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

34 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 41 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““On appeal, we will reverse a decision based on M.R.Evid. 403 to exclude evidence only if the trial justice abused his discretion in so deciding, State v. Hinds, Me., 437 A.2d 191 (1981). Interpreting the decision below as one based on Rule 403, we find such an abuse of discretion. Both Dr. Bishop’s and Dr. Krueger’s testimonies were highly probative and more helpful than confusing to the jury. The record shows that Dr. Bishop would have testified that abused women often continue to live with their abusers even though beatings continue, and that a certain substrata of abused women perceive suicide and/or homicide to be the only solutions to their problems. This evidence would have given the jury reason to believe that the defendant’s conduct was, contrary to the State’s assertions, consistent with her theory of self-defense. We agree with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and various commentators, that where the psychologist is qualified to testify about the battered wife syndrome, and the defendant establishes her identity as a battered woman, expert evidence on the battered wife syndrome must be admitted since it ‘may have ... a substantial bearing on her perceptions and behavior at the time of the killing, ... [and is] central to her claim of self defense.’ Ibn-Tamas v. United States, 407 A.2d 626, 639 (D.C.1979). Since we cannot say beyond the reasonable doubt required to make the error harmless that this evidence would not have affected the jury’s consideration ”

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