State v. Simmons’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

21 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 21 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Romer Zimma was called as a witness for the appellant, and in response to a question, testified that he did not see the complaining witness and a third party hugging and kissing each other at a time and place specified. He was then asked the following question: ‘Now, Romer, don’t you remember of stating to me that at the time you saw Parrot at Johnson’s, winter before last, that you saw them in the kitchen by themselves, hugging and kissing each other?’ to which an objection was sustained, and on this ruling the twentieth assignment of error is predicated. Had the witness testified to some affirmative fact prejudicial to the appellant, the ruling complained of would perhaps be erroneous. Greenleaf, Evidence, § 444. But- the witness testified to a mere negative, and had he been ever so successfully impeached the only effect would be to destroy testimony which was in itself worthless. The error was therefore harmless.””

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