499 So. 2d 332 - State v. Clark’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

68 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 68 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Williams further argues that the trial judge committed reversible error in failing to declare a mistrial after the prosecution “deliberately attempted to poison the trial” by stating in closing argument that the getaway van with a Wisconsin license plate belonged to defendant Williams. Even assuming that the prosecutor improperly commented on inadmissible evidence by alluding to Williams’s Wisconsin residency, there are no grounds for reversal. Before improper argument can be considered as prejudicial, the court must be convinced that the objectionable reference influenced the jury and contributed to the guilty verdict. State v. Jarman, 445 So.2d 1184 (La.1984); State v. Sharp, 418 So.2d 1344 (La.1982). In the instant ease, the brief references linking Williams to the van with the Wisconsin license plate could not reasonably have contributed to the guilty verdict where the jury heard the strong identification testimony of three eyewitnesses. Under these circumstances, we find no reversible error.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 862 So. 2d 286 - State v. Wallace