Todd v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““In criminal law the word ‘willfully’ takes its meaning from the context in which it is used or from the nature of the criminal act involved, 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 31(4), p. 112. A most acceptable and applicable definition of the word ‘willful’ in such statute appears in the case of United States v. Murdock, 290 U.S. 389 , 54 S.Ct. 223, 225 , 78 L.Ed. 381 : “ ‘The word often denotes an act which is intentional, or knowing, or voluntary, as distinguished from accidental. But, when used in a criminal statute, it generally means an act done with a bad purpose. * * *’ “A much stronger statement appears in the case of Parker v. Sutton, 47 Ala.App. 352 , 254 So.2d 425 , 431: “ ‘ * * * The connotation of the word “willful” as we used it and as it appears almost invariably in legal phraseology is one of premeditated wrong, an act done with evil intent or bad motive or purpose, unlawful, and without legal justification. * * *’ “See State v. Vinzant, 200 La. 301 , 7 So.2d 917, 922 , and Levin v. Gallman, 49 A.D.2d 434 , 375 N.Y.S.2d 185, 187 . Under these authorities we glean and do hold that in this statute the word ‘willfully’ as used therein is not vague or ambiguous and does include and comprehend an unlawful and evil intent. * * * ” Id. at 599.”

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