People v. Sexton’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “On September 8, 1993, Damian Phillips was shot and killed. Defendant Sexton and two other young men were at the scene of the crime when the police arrived. After initial questioning, they agreed to go to the police station and give statements about the incident. [2] Detective Melvin Marchlones questioned the defendant. [3] According to testimony given at the suppression hearing, Marchlones told the defendant that he was not under arrest and could leave at any time. In the defendant's first statement, taken about 2:23 P.M., defendant denied all culpability. Sexton's statement was not consistent with those of the other men. Upon being confronted with the inconsistencies, he gave another statement about 4:00 P.M., claiming that the gun slipped through the victim's finger, fell to the floor, and discharged. He testified that he asked to telephone his father before making the second statement and was told that he could do so "later." Defendant agreed to take a polygraph test. Marchlones reminded him that he was not under arrest and reviewed the Miranda [4] warnings. Defendant indicated that he understood and agreed to waive his rights. Before going to Southfield for the polygraph test, defendant gave a third statement, claiming that the gun discharged accidentally. Defendant was taken to the Southfield police station for a polygraph examination. Before the test began at 7:10 P.M., the polygraph examiner reviewed the Miranda rights. Mr. Sexton again stated that he understood the ri”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. People v. Sexton

2. “The clear rule in Michigan is that a majority of the Court must agree on a ground for decision in order to make that [decision] binding precedent for future cases. If there is merely a majority for a particular result, then the parties to the case are bound by the judgment but the case is not authority beyond the immediate parties.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People v. Stevens

3. “[t]he second and third factors can be dealt with together, because the amount of past reliance will often have a profound effect upon the administration of justice.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. People v. Barnes