Bookhout v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Cases are cited to show that the accused should have been allowed to impeach the reputation of the prosecutrix for chastity. They do not sustain the proposition. These cases are State v. Coatney, 8 Yerg. 210 ; Sword v. Nester, 3 Dana. 453; Short v. State, 4 Harr. (Del.) 568. The first two cases hold only that evidence of the general bad character of the prosecutrix is admissible to discredit her testimony. The case in Delaware is a nisi prius case. It is said the trial court permitted questions to be put and answered as to the general character of the prosecutrix for chastity. On what authority or on what grounds the ruling was made does not appear. The case is worthless as authority. The character for chastity of a woman who appears in court to affiliate her bastard child is pretty effectually impeached without further proof on the subject; but that has no direct bearing upon the question to be tried, — whether the accused is the father of such child. Of course, he may show what her reputation is for truth and veracity, and thus attach the credibility of her testimony; but that is as far as he can go on questions of reputation.””

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