Commonwealth v. Ora’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 13 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 15 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[§] 16 [of G. L. c. 272] is within the Commonwealth's power to regulate conduct; it furthers the important State interest in preventing fright or intimidation from intentional lewd and lascivious conduct imposed on unsuspecting or unwilling persons, particularly children.... This governmental interest is unrelated to the suppression of free expression.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 95 Mass. App. Ct. 257 - Commonwealth v. Melo

2. “statute cannot be constitutionally applied to public displays of lewdness and nudity unless they are imposed upon an unsuspecting or unwilling audience.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Maguire

3. “the central purpose of G. L. c. 272, § 16, [is] ... preventing fright and intimidation, particularly regarding children”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 93 Mass. App. Ct. 399 - Commonwealth v. Taranovsky