Commonwealth v. Sam’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

46 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 46 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “There is absolutely no doubt that there is an enduring societal interest in the finality of criminal proceedings. Indeed, one of the law’s very objects is the finality of its judgments. Finality is essential to both the retributive and the deterrent functions of criminal law for neither innocence nor just punishment can be vindicated until the final judgment is known. That societal interest in finality encompasses a concern for the victims of crime and their families. This compelling interest in finality that is shared both by society and the state absolutely requires, to put it simply, that at some point litigation must come to an end. In Pennsylvania, the societal interest in finality is not just a notion of criminal theory; rather, it is reflected in the very letter of our PCRA. Indeed, the primary intent of many of the Act’s 1995 amendments was to narrow the grounds for collateral relief and thereby establish a scheme by which collateral petitions may be processed promptly in order to achieve finality.the reason why convicted defendants are permitted to seek collateral relief is not to provide convicted criminals with the means to escape well-deserved sanctions, but to provide a reasonable opportunity for those who have been wrongly convicted to demonstrate the injustice of their convictions. In reviewing collateral appeals, it is the role of [the appellate courts] to distinguish between the wrongly or unfairly convicted and those who deserve their sanctions.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. 2006 Pa. Super. 84 - Commonwealth v. Monaco

2. “The above caveat in Sell is significant, as the Court explicitly "emphasize[d]" that the purpose for which medication would be administered affects the evidentiary showing required. In Sell , the purpose of forced medication was to render the defendant competent to stand trial, an outcome the defendant (or his counsel) did not desire. In contrast, the purpose of forcibly medicating appellee in this case is to enable him to pursue PCRA relief if, once rendered competent, he so chooses. The PCRA serves an important substantive, and failsafe, purpose exclusively for the benefit of convicted criminals — it exists to allow for vindication of persons who are actually innocent, or, if not innocent, at least have a colorable claim to a lesser sentence or conviction, or a claim to a new trial. An inmate who is entitled to relief should not be arbitrarily denied the prospect of collateral review. In short, compelled medication in a case like this would vindicate the inmate's interests. If PCRA relief were not pursued, then that avenue would be waived. Therefore, the Sell caveat is relevant here — i.e., the Commonwealth should not have to meet the four strict Sell conditions because it is not seeking an end that is against appellee's interest.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Watson

3. “directs advocates to brief and analyze the following four factors when litigating a claim that state constitutional doctrine should depart from the applicable federal standard: (1) the text of the provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution; (2) the history of the provision, including the caselaw of this Commonwealth; (3) relevant caselaw from other jurisdictions; and (4) policy considerations, `including unique issues of state and local concern, and applicability within modern Pennsylvania jurisprudence'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Baldwin