Commonwealth v. Bing’s Empirical Analysis
1998
Citation profile
29 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 29 later decisions — most recently March 2024 · most notably 2001 Pa. Super. 148 - Commonwealth v. Belenky (2001), Commonwealth v. Marsh (2010)
29 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 Roviaro v. United States · Commonwealth v. Carter · Commonwealth v. Miller · Commonwealth v. Hughes · Commonwealth v. Weidenmoyer
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 29 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[N]o fixed rule with respect to disclosure of the confidential informant’s identity is justifiable. The problem is one that calls for balancing the public interest in protecting the flow of information against the individual’s right to prepare his defense. Whether a proper balance renders the nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible defenses, the possible significance of the informer’s testimony and other relevant factors.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“Before the informant’s identity may be revealed ... the accused must show the information is material to the defense and the request is reasonable. The defendant need not predict exactly what the informant will say, but [the source] must exonerate [the defendant]. More than the mere assertion that disclosure of the informant’s identity might be helpful is necessary. Only after this threshold showing that the information is material and the request is reasonable is the trial court called upon to determine whether the information is to be revealed.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“(a) In all court cases, except as otherwise provided in Rule 230 (Disclosure of Testimony Before Investigating Grand Jury), if the defendant files a motion for pretrial discovery, the court may order the Commonwealth to allow the defendant’s attorney to inspect and copy or photograph any of the following requested items, upon a showing that they are material to the preparation of the defense, and that the request is reasonable: (i) the names and addresses of eyewitnesses____”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
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.