48 Va. App. 93 - Rosa v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[The computer analyst] testified that when he searches a computer, he systematically goes through and opens user-created files regardless of their names. This makes sense, as the user is free to name a file anything. Were [the computer analyst] to limit his search to files whose names suggest the type of evidence he seeks, it would be all too easy for defendants to hide computer evidence: Name your porn file “1986 tax return” and no one can open it. While systematically opening all user-created files, [the computer analyst] opened one that contained images that he considered child pornography. At that point, he stopped his search and called Mal-chow [his supervisor]. He did not resume the search and find the rest of the nude images of children until after a second search warrant had been issued.”

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

2. “We agree with the reasoning of these cases. In a search for tangible documents, it is certain that some innocuous documents will be examined, at least cursorily, in order to determine whether they are, in fact, among those papers authorized to be searched.”

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

3. “This principle applies equally to a search for electronic files. Moreover, a lawful search extends “to the entire area in which the object of the search may be found.”-”

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