Williams v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

31 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 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The test as to whether an improper argument constitutes reversible error is whether, (1) the argument is manifestly improper, harmful and prejudicial, or (2) it is violative of a statute or, (3) it injects a new and harmful fact into the case.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Harris v. State · Dickson v. State

2. “Appellant’s entry of the guilty plea and judicial confession before the jury also diminished the force of appellant’s assertion that his silence constituted an exercise of his right against self-incrimination. Finally, it must be remembered that the prosecutor’s questions and his jury argument went solely to the issue of punishment, not to appellant’s guilt or innocence. The fundamental unfairness present in Doyle is not present in this case. (Citations omitted.]”

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

3. “You're going to say by your verdict you can come down and you can just lope off with the first one if you will just tell people you're sorry— * * * * * * ... If you want to give him his first aggravated robbery free, if you want to give him probation, if you want to put him out on the street—”

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