Commonwealth v. Laws’s Empirical Analysis
1977
Citation profile
32 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 33 later decisions — most recently September 2023 · most notably Commonwealth v. Story (1978), 333 Pa. Super. 85 - Commonwealth v. Shirey (1984)
32 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 Chapman v. State of California · Commonwealth v. Gockley · Commonwealth v. Davis · Commonwealth v. Rodgers · Commonwealth v. Myma
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 33 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“(1) There should be a substantial similarity, in the type of evidence and the incriminating factual details between the tainted evidence and the untainted evidence of which it is “cumulative.” (2) The untainted evidence should be indisputable, either because the facts are in some way affirmatively accepted by the defendant or for other reasons. (3) Care should be taken that the “untainted” evidence in no way derives from the tainted evidence. 2”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage“Witnesses should be interrogated by the judge only when he conceives the interest of justice so requires. It is better to permit counsel to bring out the evidence and clear up disputed points on cross-examination unaided by the court .... The practice of a judge entering into the trial of a case as an advocate is emphatically disapproved. The judge occupies an exalted and dignified position; he is the one person to whom the jury, with rare exceptions, looks for guidance and from whom litigants expect absolute impartiality .... [H]e should not, during the trial, indicate an opinion, on the merits, a doubt as to the witnesses’ credibility, or do anything to indicate a leaning to one side or the other, without explaining to the jury that all these matters are for them. Accord, Commonwealth v. Sea brook, 475 Pa. 38 , 379 A.2d 564 (1977); Commonwealth v. Miller, 442 Pa. 95 , 275 A.2d 328 (1971); Commonwealth v. Elmore, 241 Pa.Super. 470 , 362 A.2d 348 (1976); Commonwealth v. Lanza, 228 Pa.Super. 300 , 323 A.2d 178 (1974); ABA Standards Relating to the Function of the Trial Judge, § 6.4, p. 19 (1972).”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“demands that the court exercise its authority with care, and refrain from questioning which may pressure a witness to testify in a particular way.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Marshall v. State
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.