438 So. 2d 374 - Mason v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

1 federal appellate · 27 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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “We agree with appellant that Missy Chapman's identification of him as the assailant has little credibility. Before the trial she stated that when the murderer was in the bedroom, his back was towards her and she could not "actually see what he looked like." At a lineup held one week after the killing, Missy failed to identify appellant as the killer and when photographs of those in the lineup were later shown to her she again failed to pick him out. Finally, at trial, almost one year after the murder, Missy identified appellant as the man that she had seen. He was, however, the only black man at counsel's table and she had been informed that the man charged with killing her mother would be in the courtroom. The courtroom conditions were too suggestive, and her prior attempts too unsuccessful, to give much credence to Missy's identification of appellant.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 738 So. 2d 382 - Jackson v. State

2. “The record shows that appellant broke into Mrs. Chapman's home, armed himself in her kitchen, and attacked her as she lay sleeping in bed. Nothing indicates that she provoked the attack in any way or that appellant had any reason for committing the murder. There was sufficient evidence for the trial court to find this circumstance [cold, calculated, and premeditated] applicable.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 575 So. 2d 165 - Douglas v. State