448 Pa. Super. 589 - Commonwealth v. Boyd’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “In Pennsylvania, a witness’s truthfulness may be attacked by showing that he or she has a bad reputation for truth and veracity. If a witness is impeached by proof of bad reputation for truth and veracity, evidence may then be admitted to prove good reputation for truth and veracity. Evidence in support of the general reputation of a witness for truth and veracity, however, is not competent until his or her general reputation has been assailed. Every witness puts his or her character in issue; but until evidence tending directly to impeach it is produced, the law presumes it to be good, and therefore testimony to prove it good is superfluous.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 2000 Pa. Super. 379 - Commonwealth v. Fisher

2. “It is within the ordinary capacity of a jury to assess whether a particular witness is lying, and resolving questions of a witness’s credibility is a function reserved exclusively for the jury. Allowing a defendant to offer bolstering evidence of his or her good reputation for truth and veracity whenever the defendant’s testimony contradicts the testimony of the Commonwealth’s witnesses would infringe on the credibility determining function of the jury.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 2000 Pa. Super. 379 - Commonwealth v. Fisher