Logston v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““James Galloway, a witness, about eight years of age, was objected to because of his tender years and for want of proper instruction. The court asked the witness if he knew what would become of him if he swore a lie? He said, ‘Yes; the bad man will get me.’ He was then asked who told him so. He said his mother. While, as a general rule, it might have been proper to have further tested the witness, yet, in view of his remarkably intelligent testimony, we are satisfied the manner of the child was of a character to satisfy the court of his capacity and instruction, and justified the brevity of examination by the court. The sensible answers make it clear that the witness understood sufficiently the nature of an oath and had a well defined idea of future rewards and punishments. His candor in speaking of his testimony, given on former trials, discovers an honesty the absence of which in many older and more mature persons, is to be regretted.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Delbridge