Commonwealth v. Thompson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

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. “Probable cause is made out when "the facts and circumstances which are within the knowledge of the officer at the time of the arrest, and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information, are sufficient to warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the suspect has committed or is committing a crime." Commonwealth v. Rodriguez, 526 Pa. 268 , 585 A.2d 988, 990 (1991). The question we ask is not whether the officer's belief was "correct or more likely true than false." Texas v. Brown, 460 U.S. 730, 742 , 103 S.Ct. 1535 , 75 L.Ed.2d 502 (1983). Rather, we require only a "probability, and not a prima facie showing, of criminal activity." Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 235 , 103 S.Ct. 2317 , 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983) (citation omitted) (emphasis supplied). In determining whether probable cause exists, we apply a totality of the circumstances test. Commonwealth v. Clark, 558 Pa. 157 , 735 A.2d 1248, 1252 (1999) (relying on Gates, supra ).”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Koonce · 2010 Pa. Super. 141 - Commonwealth v. Williams

2. “"Our standard of review in addressing a challenge to a trial court's denial of a suppression motion is whether the factual findings are supported by the record and whether the legal conclusions drawn from those facts are correct. We must consider only the evidence of the prosecution and so much of the evidence of the defense as remains uncontradicted when read in the context of the record as a whole." Commonwealth v. Eichinger, 591 Pa. 1 , 915 A.2d 1122, 1134 (2007), cert. denied, 552 U.S. 894 , 128 S.Ct. 211 , 169 L.Ed.2d 158 (2007). Those properly supported facts are binding upon us and we "may reverse only if the legal conclusions drawn therefrom are in error." Id.”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 2010 Pa. Super. 141 - Commonwealth v. Williams · Commonwealth v. Waddell

3. “The time is important; the street location is important; the use of a street for commercial transactions is important; the number of such transactions is important; the place where the small items were kept by one of the sellers is important; the movements and manners of the parties are important.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 2013 Pa. Super. 244 - Commonwealth v. Delvalle · 2012 Pa. Super. 20 - Commonwealth v. Astillero