State v. Melchior’s Empirical Analysis

1978

Citation profile

348

cited by 348 later decisions

states following

March 2026

most recently cited

5 federal appellate · 335 state decisions

How this case has been cited

Cited by 348 later decisions — most recently March 2026 · most notably State v. Loza (1994), State v. Getsy (1998)

5 federal appellate · 335 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 Lego v. Twomey · Frazier v. Cupp · Lisenba v. People of State of California · Rogers v. Richmond · Stein v. People of State of New York Wissner

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

“(1) the accused was not at fault in creating the situation giving rise to the affray; (2) the accused has a bona fide belief that he was in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that his only means of escape from such danger was in the use of such force; and (3) the accused must not have violated any duty to retreat or avoid the danger.”
13 later decisions quote this exact passage
e.g. State v. Hatfield, 23716 (5-21-2008) · State v. Taylor, 06ca009000 (3-31-2008)
“'[i]f the evidence generates only a mere speculation or possible doubt, such evidence is insufficient to raise the affirmative defense, and submission of the issue to the jury will be unwarranted.'”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage
e.g. State v. Hatfield, 23716 (5-21-2008) · State v. Klema, Unpublished Decision (5-31-2006)
“evidence of a nature and quality sufficient to raise the issue must be introduced, from whatever source the evidence may come.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage
e.g. State v. Hatfield, 23716 (5-21-2008) · State v. Klema, Unpublished Decision (5-31-2006)

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.