462 So. 2d 308 - Lambert v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

81 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 84 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[T]he test for the continuous possession [ i.e., "chain of custody"] of evidence is whether or not there is any indication or reasonable inference of probable tampering with the evidence or substitution of the evidence.”

   6 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hemphill v. State · 749 So. 2d 983 - Sullivan v. State

2. “Judicial scrutiny of counsel’s performance must be highly deferential. It is all too tempting for a defendant to second-guess counsel’s assistance after conviction or adverse sentence, and it is all too easy for a court, examining counsel’s defense after it has proved unsuccessful, to conclude that a particular act or omission of counsel was unreasonable. A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel’s challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel’s perspective at the time.”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Palmer v. State · Robinson v. State

3. “In such matters, the presumption of regularity supports the official acts of public officers,”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hemphill v. State · 749 So. 2d 983 - Sullivan v. State