Commonwealth v. Thomas’s Empirical Analysis
1976
Citation profile
109 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 111 later decisions — most recently April 1997 · most notably Commonwealth v. O'SEARO (1976), Commonwealth v. Holzer (1978)
109 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 Ex Rel. Washington v. Maroney · Commonwealth v. Young · Commonwealth v. Paquette · Commonwealth v. O'SEARO · Commonwealth v. Petrakovich
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 111 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 reasonable inferences deductible from such evidence, upon which the trier of fact could have based its verdict, the evidence and inferences are sufficient in law to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. (citations omitted). Moreover, in reviewing the evidence, we must consider it in the light most favorable to the verdict winner. (citations omitted).”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“In evaluating this contention [i.e., the defendant’s challenge to the sufficiency of evidence], we [must] view the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth and, drawing all reasonable inferences therefrom favorable to the Commonwealth, determine if there is sufficient evidence to enable the trier of fact to find every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“The seminal question in determining whether a defendant was denied effective assistance of counsel is whether the course chosen by defense counsel had some reasonable basis' designed to effectuate his client’s interests. Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 604 , 235 A.2d 349,353 (1967). “The test is not whether other alternatives were more reasonable, employing a hindsight evaluation of the record. Although weigh the alternatives we must, the balance tips in favor of a finding of effective assistance as soon as it is determined that trial counsel’s decisions had any reasonable basis.” Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, supra at 604-605, 235 A.2d at 352-353 (1967). Commonwealth v. Hosack, 459 Pa. 27, 33 , 326 A.2d 352, 355 (1974).”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.