State v. Crims’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

15 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 15 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Every criminal defendant has a right to fundamental fairness and to be afforded a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense. The Due Process Clauses of the Federal and Minnesota Constitutions require no less. The right to present a defense includes the opportunity to develop the defendant’s version of the facts, so the jury may decide where the truth lies. The Confrontation Clauses of the Federal and Minnesota Constitutions serve the same purpose, affording a defendant the opportunity to advance his or her theory of the case by revealing an adverse witness’s bias or disposition to lie. To vindicate these rights, courts must allow defendants to present evidence that is material and favorable to their theory of the case. * * ⅞ In ruling on a defendant’s offer of [evidence of the victim’s previous sexual conduct], the trial court considers the defendant’s constitutional rights, Minn. R. Evid. 403 and 412, and the rape shield statute * * * MinmStat. § 609.347, subd. 3. In the event of a conflict, the defendant’s constitutional rights require admission of evidence excluded by the rape shield law. [[Image here]] We are constrained to interpret statutes as constitutional in purpose and effect unless a party proves otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, when confronted with a statute susceptible to multiple interpretations, we adopt the one that stands in harmony with the Constitution, even if the alternative construction might otherwise seem a more accurate reflection”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Matter of Cm · State v. Carroll