Commonwealth v. Taylor’s Empirical Analysis
1975
Citation profile
84 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 87 later decisions — most recently August 2024 · most notably Commonwealth v. Alexander (1978), Commonwealth v. Garcia (1977)
84 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Commonwealth v. Paquette · Commonwealth v. Boyd · Commonwealth v. Carroll · Commonwealth v. Lawrence · Commonwealth v. Chermansky
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 87 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“'[w]hether, accepting as true all the evidence and all [the] reasonable inferences therefrom upon which if believed the [finder of fact] could properly have based its verdict, it is sufficient in law to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the crime or crimes for which he has been convicted.’ Commonwealth v. Bayard, 453 Pa. 506, 509 , 309 A.2d 579, 581 (1973); Commonwealth v. Paquette, 451 Pa. 250 , 301 A.2d 837 (1973). In this regard it must be noted that the finder of fact has the right to reject part or all of the [witness’] testimony even if uncontradicted. Commonwealth v. Chermansky, 430 Pa. 170 at 174 , 242 A.2d 237 at 240 .”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage““ ‘To sustain a conviction of murder of either degree, the evidence must establish that the killing was committed with malice. Commonwealth v. McFadden, 448 Pa. 277 , 292 A.2d 324 (1972).’ Commonwealth v. Coleman, 455 Pa. 508, 510 , 318 A.2d 716, 717 (1974). ‘ [Malice] consists either of an express intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm, or of a “wickedness of disposition, hardness of heart, cruelty, recklessness of consequences and a mind regardless of social duty” indicating an unjustified disregard for the probability of death or great bodily harm and an extreme indifference to the value of human life. Commonwealth v. Carroll, 412 Pa. 525 , 194 A.2d 911 (1963).’ Commonwealth v. Chermansky, 430 Pa. 170, 175 , 242 A.2d 237, 240-41 (1968). See Commonivealth v. Coleman, supra. ‘The existence of legal malice may be inferred and found from the attending circumstances of the act resulting in the death. Commonwealth v. Bowden, Pa., 309 A.2d 714 (1973).’ Commonwealth v. Coleman, supra at 510, 318 A.2d at 717 ; Commonwealth v. Chermansky, supra; Commonwealth v. Lawrence, 428 Pa. 188, 193 , 236 A.2d 768, 771 (1968).” Common wealth v. Taylor, 461 Pa. 557, 559 , 337 A.2d 545, 546 (1975).”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“[BJetween the recklessness or culpable negligence necessary to support the charge of involuntary manslaughter, see Commonwealth v. Busler, 445 Pa. 359 , 284 A.2d 783 (1971), and the specific intent to kill which is a prerequisite of murder of the first degree, there is a class of wanton and reckless conduct which manifests such an extreme indifference to the value of human life which transcends the negligent killing and reaches to the level of malice ...”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.