Burris v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 federal appellate · 30 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 41 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “and continued during closing argument: 14 Now then, this is a street people case. We've got a street people defendant. We have almost exclusively street people witnesses.... He's not the best, best one I've ever had, Burris isn't. I don't even like him. He and I have had several arguments. But I'm saying he is entitled ... to everything that anyone else is. By God, I'm going to see that he gets it. 15 Alsip justified these remarks as an effort to”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Douglas v. State · Burris v. Farley

2. “[a] jury and a judge hearing the recently developed mitigating evidence could perhaps properly conclude that death was the appropriate penalty. The cumulative effect of these acts and omissions, however, is sufficiently serious to lead us to view a decision made under these circumstances as unreliable, warranting reversal of appellant's death sentence.”

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

3. “The victim was a Northside Cab Company driver. Prior to his last cab run Thelma Williams called the cab company on Burris’ request. Later that night a witness saw Burris destroy a cab driver’s run sheet. The police found the victim’s cab outside the apartment where Burris was staying and found the murder weapon inside the same apartment.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 845 F. Supp. 636 - Burris v. Farley