Bumpus v. Gunter’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 1 district · 20 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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““The Commonwealth has the burden to prove the charges in this indictment against this defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. “Now proof beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean proof beyond all doubt, nor proof beyond a whimsical or fanciful doubt, nor proof beyond the possibility of innocence. “It is rarely if ever possible to find a case so clear that there cannot be a possibility of innocence. “If an unreasonable doubt or mere possibility of innocence was sufficient to prevent a conviction, practically every criminal would be set free to prey upon the community and such a rule would be wholly impractical and would break down the forces of law and make the lawless supreme. “A reasonable doubt does not mean a doubt as may exist in the mind of a man who is earnestly seeking doubts or for an excuse to acquit a defendant. But it means such doubt as remains in the minds of reasonable men who are earnestly seeking the truth. “A fact is proved beyond a reasonable doubt when it is proved to a moral certainty, when it is proved to a degree of certainty that satisfies the judgment and conscience of the jury as reasonable men and leaves in their minds as reasonable men a clear and settled conviction of guilt. . “When all is said and done, if there remains in the minds of the jury any reasonable doubt of the existence of any fact which is essential to the guilt of the defendant on the particular charge in the indictment, the defendant must have the benefit and cannot be found guilty on th”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Rembiszewski

2. ““And if an unreasonable doubt or a mere possibility of innocence were sufficient to prevent a conviction, practically every criminal would be set free to prey upon the community. Such a rule would be wholly impractical and would break down the forces of law and order and make the vicious and lawless supreme.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Commonwealth v. McGrath