53 Tex. Crim. 281 - Pratt v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 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. ““The true criterion and test for determining the admissibility of such statements is: Are they necessary to make any other act or declaration of a defendant, which has been proved by the prosecution fully understood, or do they explain same? Wood v. State, 28 Tex. App. 61 [ 12 S. W. 405 ]. We think this is the true criterion and the true test, and that measured by this test as applied to this casé, the proposed testimony was admissible. The declarations and statements of appellant offered in evidence by the state went to the extent only that they would find Tide dead, and that he had shot him. In this testimony so introduced by the state there was an unequivocal admission that he had killed Lide, without explanation or undertaking to account for the circumstances under which the killing was done. In the conversation and statement sought to be proved, appellant undertook to give and did give the explanation, reasons, grounds and circumstances of the killing. This testimony was explanatory of the killing and contained appellant’s justification for the homicide.””

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