Taylor v. Crawford’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 federal appellate · 1 district · 3 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 20 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “If Missouri's protocol as written involves no inherent substantial risk of the wanton infliction of pain, any risk that the procedure will not work as designated in the protocol is merely a risk of accident, which is insignificant in our constitutional analysis.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Harbison v. Little · 969 So. 2d 326 - Lightbourne v. McCollum

2. “The Eighth Amendment prohibits the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain through torture, barbarous methods, or methods resulting in a lingering death. See Gregg [v. Georgia ], 428 U.S. [153,] 170, 96 S.Ct. 2909 [ 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976)]. The Eighth Amendment is interpreted in a flexible manner, “ ‘acquiring] meaning as public opinion becomes enlightened by a humane justice.’ ” Id. at 171, 96 S.Ct. 2909 (quoting Weems v. United States, 217 U.S. 349, 378 , 30 S.Ct. 544 , 54 L.Ed. 793 (1910)). “ ‘The Amendment must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society’ ” and “accord with ‘the dignity of man.’ ” Id. at 173, 96 S.Ct. 2909 (quoting Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 86, 100-01 , 78 S.Ct. 590 , 2 L.Ed.2d 630 (1958) (plurality)).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 900 F. Supp. 2d 949 - United States v. Johnson

3. “The evidence reveals that the only inherent risk in Missouri’s written procedure arises from the specific chemicals chosen by the State to carry out the sentence of death by lethal injection. Lethal injection itself is commonly thought to be the most humane form of execution.... There is no dispute, however, that the third and last chemical chosen for use in this protocol will cause excruciating pain if the inmate is not adequately anesthetized and that use of the second chemical in the sequence will simultaneously mask any visible sign of that pain.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Ringo v. Lombardi