United States v. Jones’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 district · 2 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[I]n an effort to justify the seizure of Jones, the government argued, and Boston Police Officer Ranee Cooley falsely testified, that there was justification to stop Jones because, despite the dark and the distance between them, he identified Jones as he rode his bicycle down Middleton Street in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Cooley testified that his suspicions were raised when Jones pedaled away from him because Cooley knew Jones and Jones had never avoided Cooley before. However, Cooley had on several earlier occasions told the lead prosecutor in this case, Suzanne Sullivan, that he did not recognize Jones on Middleton Street and did not identify the man who had been on the bicycle as Jones until later, when other officers had tackled Jones at another location. Cooley’s important inconsistent statements were not disclosed to Jones until the court conducted an in camera review of Sullivan’s notes, just before the suppression hearing was complete. Sullivan and her supervisor, James Herbert, acknowledge that Cooley’s prior inconsistent statements constituted material exculpatory evidence, and that the failure to disclose them violated the government’s constitutional duty under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 , 83 S.Ct. 1194 , 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), its progeny, and the court’s orders.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 686 F. Supp. 2d 147 - United States v. Jones · 620 F. Supp. 2d 163 - United States v. Jones

2. “Cooley’s prior inconsistent statements were discovered and disclosed in time for his false testimony to be discredited. Id. at 115, 121-22. Indeed, the government abandoned reliance on it. Nevertheless, the motion to suppress was denied on alternate grounds. Id. at 115, 122-29. The court did, however, immediately consider whether sanctions should be imposed on Ms. Sullivan and/or the government. The court concluded that it was not appropriate to reward Jones, and punish the public, by dismissing the case against him because of the government’s misconduct. Id. at 115. Nevertheless, the misconduct [was] too serious to ignore.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 686 F. Supp. 2d 147 - United States v. Jones

3. “Here, officers can point to the following specific facts justifying their stop of Jones. Jones abruptly turned his bicycle and fled in the opposite direction upon seeing the police approach; in the dozens of encounters Officer Cooley had with Jones in the vicinity of that same neighborhood over the prior approximately two years, Jones had never attempted to flee from the officer.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 620 F. Supp. 2d 163 - United States v. Jones