United States v. Johnson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 federal appellate · 4 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 39 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “may be considered in the totality of the circumstances”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. STATE of Tennessee v. James David MOATS · State v. Bradford

2. “[a]t the time Officer Hamilton seized the defendant, Officer Hamilton had only been told by the dispatcher that there was a suspicious male with a gun at the Dollar General Store, that the male was reportedly heading towards Squire’s Liquor, and a description was given of the unidentified male indicating he was a black male, bald, wearing a black sweatshirt with white lettering and smoking a cigarette. Officer Hamilton saw a man whom he claimed matched the description given by the dispatcher. Officer Hamilton approached and asked the defendant if he had recently been at the Dollar General Store. The defendant replied that he had not. Without asking any additional inquires, the officers immediately seized the defendant and insisted on conducting a pat-down search. At the time the defendant was detained, the totality of the circumstances included: (1) two calls placed to 911 reporting only that a male with a gun was at the Dollar General store, (2) the above description of the male, and (3) the way he was heading. Based upon the totality of the circumstances, the court cannot find that the officers had reasonable suspicion to detain the defendant.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 947 F. Supp. 2d 895 - United States v. Evans

3. “Examples of circumstances that might indicate a seizure, even where the person did not attempt to leave, would be the threatening presence of several officers, the display of a weapon by an officer, some physical touching of the person of the citizen, or the use of language or tone of voice indicating that compliance with the officer’s request might be compelled.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 947 F. Supp. 2d 895 - United States v. Evans