Commonwealth v. Lamonna’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

116 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 116 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It is not intended that preliminary calendar calls should constitute commencement of a trial. A trial commences when the trial judge determines that the parties are present and directs them to proceed to voir dire, or to opening argument, or to the hearing of any motions which had been reserved for the time of trial, or to the taking of testimony or to some other such first step in the trial.”

   12 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 362 Pa. Super. 464 - Commonwealth v. Wright · 294 Pa. Super. 338 - Commonwealth v. MacHi

2. ““. . . The principle concern behind Rule 1100 is simply that the commencement of trial be marked by a substantive, rather than a pro forma, event. Moreover, each of the events specifically referred to in the foregoing portions of the comment represents a degree of commitment of the Court’s time and resources such that the process of determining the defendant’s guilt or innocence flows directly therefrom. Accordingly, the beginning of any stage which leads directly into the guilt determining process is a ‘first step’ in the trial for purposes of Rule 1100.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Jones v. Commonwealth · 250 Pa. Super. 221 - Commonwealth v. Williams

3. “"For the purpose of this Rule, trial shall be deemed to commence on the date the trial judge calls the case to trial."”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Martin · 282 Pa. Super. 157 - Commonwealth v. Mines