State v. Bolden’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 8 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 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “an uncontrollable license to testify falsely,”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Bolden · Bolden v. Warden, West Tennessee High Security Facility

2. “Having reviewed the record, we find that the jury decided that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant murdered Brenda Spicer. Clearly, the doctrine of collateral estoppel bars the state from relitigating the issue of whether defendant murdered Spicer. (Emphasis added.) However, it is arguable whether the jury necessarily decided the issue of whether defendant was telling the truth when he testified under oath that he did not kill Brenda Spicer or have physical contact with her. This was not a situation where the jury was presented with two conflicting versions of the facts and forced to determine the veracity of one over the other. Cf. United States v. Sarno, 596 F.2d 404 (9th Cir.1979); Commonwealth v. Hude, 492 Pa. 600 , 425 A.2d 313, 321 (1980). The state presented no eyewitness testimony contradicting defendant's assertions that he did not kill Spicer or have physical contact with her. Rather, the state's case was based on circumstantial evidence showing that defendant had the motive and opportunity to kill Spicer.”

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

3. “On March 20, 1987, defendant [Bolden] was indicted for second degree murder of Brenda Lee Spicer. At trial, the state sought to show that defendant murdered her because he was jealous of the close relationship between Spicer and defendant’s girlfriend, Joel Tillis. Defendant testified on his own behalf and specifically denied killing Spicer.... At the conclusion of trial, the jury returned a verdict of ‘not guilty.’ Subsequently, defendant and Tillis moved to Memphis, Tennessee. In 1990, Tillis disappeared, and her body was later found in Arkansas. Defendant was a suspect in her disappearance, but was never arrested and later moved to New Jersey. Approximately two years later, defendant filed a complaint against a woman named Jennifer Spurlock and was summoned to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey in connection with the complaint. In the course of questioning, defendant confessed to the killing of Joel Tillis [and Spicer].”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Parker v. DUFRESNE