Harris v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 9 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “You are also to consider any of the following mitigating circumstances that you may find to exist: The defendant: (1) was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance when he committed the murder; (2) capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired as a result of mental disease or defect or of intoxication; [or] (3) any other circumstances appropriate for consideration. You are to consider both the aggravating circumstance and mitigating circumstances and recommend whether the death penalty, life imprisonment without parole or neither should be imposed. You may consider all the evidence introduced at the trial resulting in the defendant’s conviction of murder, together with any new evidence presented at this hearing.”

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

2. ““At this time, based upon your plea of guilty but mentally ill, Mr. Crews, and based upon the evidence that the Court heard regarding your mental condition at the time of the offense, the Court at this time is going to accept your plea of guilty but mentally ill to the charge of murder as alleged in count I of this Information and find that there is a sufficient factual basis in the record at this time to show that you were mentally ill at the time that [sic] the commission of this offense, and therefore your plea of guilty but mentally ill is accepted by the Court.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 122 Ill. 2d 266 - People v. Crews