Commonwealth v. Daniels’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 73 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 77 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Finally, appellees raise numerous other claims which, though dismissed by the PCRA court, were not addressed by the PCRA court on the merits either in its opinion or elsewhere on the record. For example, in its opinion, the PCRA court acknowledged that appellees raised other claims of error in connection with the penalty phase of the trial, but stated that those claims were rendered moot because of its decision to grant a new trial, and thus dismissed them. Given the prospect of appellate review, and to avoid piecemeal review, PCRA courts in capital cases should be thorough and should address all issues. In light of our disagreement with the PCRA court’s existing grant of relief, the proper course is to remand for the PCRA court to address these claims. In addition, the PCRA court failed to explain the basis for its determination that appellees’ many other claims affecting the guilt phase were meritless. Because of the PCRA court’s failure, we have no rationale supporting the denial of appellees’ remaining claims and cannot conduct meaningful appellate review. Under such circumstances, we will remand the matter to the PCRA court to -write an opinion addressing all of the PCRA petitioner’s claims. ... Accordingly, we remand this matter to the PCRA court to furnish a written opinion on the remaining claims raised by appellees in their petitions for post-conviction relief, including those claims that it previously dismissed without a hearing. As to any claims requiring resolutio”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth, Aplt v. Pelzer, K. · Commonwealth v. Sneed

2. “[a] failure to satisfy any prong of the ineffectiveness test requires rejection of the claim of ineffectiveness.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Dozier · Commonwealth v. Sandusky

3. “(a) General rule. — To be eligible for relief under this subchapter, the petitioner must plead and prove by a preponderance of the evidence all of the following: (2) That the conviction or sentence resulted from one or more of the following: (i) A violation of the Constitution of this Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United States which, in the circumstances of the particular case, so undermined the truth-determining process that no reliable adjudication of guilt or innocence could have taken place. (ii) Ineffective assistance of counsel which, in the circumstances of the particular case, so undermined the truth-determining process that no reliable adjudication of guilt or innocence could have taken place. (iii) A plea of guilty unlawfully induced where the circumstances make it likely that the inducement caused the petitioner to plead guilty and the petitioner is innocent. (iv) The improper obstruction by government officials of the petitioner's right of appeal where a meritorious appealable issue existed and was properly preserved in the trial court. (v) Deleted. (vi) The unavailability at the time of trial of exculpatory evidence that has subsequently become available and would have changed the outcome of the trial if it had been introduced. (vii) The imposition of a sentence greater than the lawful maximum. (viii) A proceeding in a tribunal without jurisdiction.”

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