Commonwealth v. McGee’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

29 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 29 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “A weapon that could have been used in the course of a crime is admissible, in the judge's discretion, even without direct proof that the particular weapon was in fact used in the commission of the crime”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Tavares · 93 Mass. App. Ct. 1104 - Commonwealth v. Burgos

2. “The testimony of a cooperating witness who provides evidence against a Defendant to escape punishment or receive leniency from law enforcement authorities for his or her own misdeeds or crimes, or for other personal reason or advantage, must be examined and weighed by the jury with greater care and caution than the testimony of an ordinary witness. You, the jury, must determine whether a cooperating witness’s testimony has been affected by self-interest, or by an agreement, implicit or explicit, he or she has with the government, or his or her own interest in the outcome of the case, or by prejudice or bias against the Defendant and his family.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Preston v. State

3. “evidence is relevant and whether its probative value is substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect are matters entrusted to the trial judge's broad discretion and are not disturbed absent palpable error.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 93 Mass. App. Ct. 1104 - Commonwealth v. Burgos