Commonwealth v. Hutchinson’s Empirical Analysis
1989
Citation profile
51 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 51 later decisions — most recently June 2018 · most notably Commonwealth v. Paolello (1995), Commonwealth v. Ragan (1994)
51 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Rodriguez v. New York · Commonwealth Ex Rel. Washington v. Maroney · Commonwealth v. Pierce · Commonwealth v. Miller · Commonwealth v. Clemmons
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 51 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“a prior declaration of a witness whose testimony has been attacked and whose credibility stands impeached, which, considering the impeachment, the court will allow to be proved by the person to whom the declaration was made, in order to support the credibility of the witness. Because such statements are hearsay, their use as a means to rehabilitate the credibility of an impeached witness’ testimony is severely limited; and such statements are admissible only if it is alleged that the witness’ present testimony is recently fabricated or the result of corrupt motives. Furthermore, evidence of such statements is admissible only in rebuttal and then only for the purpose of showing that that which the witness now testifies to has not recently been fabricated. If one testifies that they did a certain thing at a given time, they may be challenged that they said something different before. Such is impeachment by a prior contradictory statement. Ordinarily, that one has always said the same thing is subsumed in their testimony and need not be buttressed by evidence of prior consistency, unless that consistency, by allegation of recent fabrication is challenged. When challenged, evidence of prior and continued consistency may be offered. Evidence of prior consistency, absent such challenge is not required and is essentially cumulative and repetitious. To regularly allow testimony of prior consistency may easily become a device to merely augment the credibility of witnesses by others.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“the statement in issue was made after [the defendant's] arrest: clearly not a time when the effect of the statement could not have been foreseen.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Commonwealth v. Bond
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.