59 Wash. App. 127 - State v. Sims’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

13 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 13 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “it is sufficient to charge in the language of the statute if the statute defines the crime sufficiently to apprise an accused person with reasonable certainty of the nature of the accusation”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 63 Wash. App. 630 - State v. Rhode · 60 Wash. App. 761 - State v. Mathews

2. “However, by definition, a complaint stated in the language of a statute defining a crime states a crime. See State v. Thomas, 73 Wn.2d [729, 731, 440 P.2d 488 (1968)]. A mental state which is an implied element of the crime as defined by statute is also an implicit part of the charge. Where there is a well-established rule implying the requisite mental state as an element of the crime, its omission from the information is of no significance. See State v. Bower, 28 Wn. App. 704 , 707 n.2, 626 P.2d 39 (1981). Thus, an information need not allege implied elements of the crime if it follows the language of the statute and is sufficient to apprise the accused with reasonable certainty of the nature of the accusation. See [State v.] Smith, 49 Wn. App. [596, 599, 744 P.2d 1096 (1987)] (holding that the court-implied element of knowledge was not a necessary part of an information charging possession of stolen property), [review denied, 110 Wn.2d 1007 (1988)]; State v. Bower, supra (information charging the defendant with preventing a prison guard from performing his duties need not include the element of intent); State v. Orsborn, 28 Wn. App. 111, 114, 626 P.2d 980 (1980) (information charging negligent homicide need not include requirement that the victim's death be a proximate result of the injuries received in the accident), review denied, 97 Wn.2d 1012 (1982).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 59 Wash. App. 867 - State v. Johnson

3. “The requirement that the information must state a crime and in so doing sufficiently define the crime so that the accused is adequately informed of the nature of the accusation has not been interpreted to mean that an information must allege every fact that the State must eventually prove at trial in order to support a conviction.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 63 Wash. App. 630 - State v. Rhode