State v. Brydon’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

23 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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[a]ny legally recognized privileged communication, except that between attorney and client, shall not apply to situations involving known or suspected child abuse or neglect and shall not constitute grounds for failure ... to give or accept evidence in any judicial proceeding relating to child abuse or neglect.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State Ex Rel. D.M. v. Hoester · State v. Russell

2. “Even at common law, however, the incompetency did not appertain to prevent testimony of the wife against the husband for injury done or threatened to her person. * * * That exception to the common law rule * * * was unaffected by the statute and survives. * * * The courts continue to receive the testimony of a wife to prosecute a husband not only for injury to the spouse but also for injury to a child or step-child on the rationale * * * that a crime against the child of the family is equivalent to a crime against the spouse.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Heistand · Daniels v. State

3. “The [social] worker ... was [at the defendant’s house] with permission and would have been obliged to leave without it. And although in the discharge of an official duty at the time, she was in no sense a prosecution officer. She was without authority to make a criminal investigation and undertook none albeit [DFS] was empowered to “report to the appropriate law enforcement authority” any result of investigation. ... The statements to [the social worker] were as to a private individual.... It may be that the statements by [the defendant] to [the social worker] were the point of beginning for the prosecution ..., but that says no more than that any voluntary admission may lead to a criminal charge. Id. at 450-51 . The court stressed that “the totality of circumstances” determined whether the inculpatory statements were voluntary. Id. at 451 .”

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