Commonwealth v. Parker’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

29 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 29 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Trial judges generally enjoy broad discretion regarding the admission of potentially misleading or confusing evidence. Trial judges also have the authority to exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially out weighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or confusion. Furthermore, the function of the trial court is to balance the alleged prejudicial effect of the evidence against its probative value, and it is not for an appellate court to usurp that function.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 2014 Pa. Super. 88 - Commonwealth v. Williams

2. “We fail to see the distinction between verbally describing that evidence and physically picking up the evidence and displaying it to the jury as the attorney describes what he intends to prove with regard to that particular picce of evidence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. People v. Harmon

3. “[A]s a practical matter the opening statement can often times be the most critical stage of the trial, because here the jury forms its first and often lasting impression of the case.”

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