Ruffin v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

29 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 30 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “conditioned upon a showing that such expenses are needed to prepare and present an adequate defense.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 989 So. 2d 372 - Howell v. State · 929 So. 2d 365 - McFadden v. State

2. “"There is no merit in this assignment of error. That there can conceivably be instances when the state in fairness should be required to pay the cost of an expert needed by the defense to insure a fair trial for an indigent accused must be conceded. Those cases can only be left to the discretion of the trial court, and they will be rare. See: U.S. v. Baldi, 344 U.S. 561 , 73 S.Ct. 391 , 97 L.Ed. 549 (1952); U.S. v. Pennsylvania, 452 F.2d 557 (3rd Cir.1971); Aldisert, C.J., p. 563; State v. Grant, 560 S.W.2d 384 (Mo. App. 1977); Graham v. State, 547 S.W.2d 531 (Tenn. 1977); and State v. Montgomery, 291 N.C. 91 , 229 S.E.2d 572 (N.C. 1976). "As aptly stated in Oregon v. Acosta, 41 Or. App. 257 , 597 P.2d 1282, 1284 (1979): It is apparent that an indigent's statutorily enacted right to defense expenses is not absolute, but is conditioned upon a showing that such expenses are needed to prepare and present an adequate defense. (Citations omitted) Neither the statute nor the constitutional guarantees of effective assistance of counsel and of equal protection require that an investigator or expert be furnished at public expense upon demand. (Citations omitted) There is no single test for determining whether the services of an investigator or an expert are necessary; that decision will depend on the facts and circumstances of the particular case and must be committed to the sound discretion of the court to which the request for expenses is directed. (Citations omitted) [Emphasis adde”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Johnson v. State · 529 So. 2d 577 - Johnson v. State

3. “It is apparent that an indigent's statutorily enacted right to defense expenses is not absolute, but is conditioned upon showing that such expenses are needed to prepare and present an adequate defense. [.. .] There is no single test for determining whether the services of an investigator or an expert are necessary; that decision will depend on the facts and circumstances of the particular case and must be committed to the sound discretion of the court to which the request for expenses is directed.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 635 So. 2d 894 - Harrison v. State · 732 So. 2d 158 - Weatherspoon v. State