Knight v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

12 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 12 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “such as utterly to destroy the defendant's most important right under our system, the right to the `essential fairness of [his] criminal trial.'”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 743 So. 2d 1105 - Barnes v. State · 711 So. 2d 1159 - Cochran v. State

2. “We recognize that appellant failed to object to several of the prosecutor's improper comments and only made one objection at the end of the state's closing. However, this court has held that if the improper comments rise to the level of fundamental error, then multiple objections are not necessary... We hold that the totality of the prosecutor's improper comments reach to the very heart of the case and rise to the level of fundamental error obviating the need for multiple or contemporaneous objections.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 701 So. 2d 593 - DeFreitas v. State

3. “During closing argument, the prosecutor commented on Bacon's counsel's objection to Ms. Allison's testimony: Now, I don't know why Halpern didn't want ID technician Allison to tell you about the fingerprint results. Maybe he will tell you, I don't know. I don't have a clue. Maybe he is saving that and has something up his sleeve along with the perjured testimony and planted evidence. I wanted to find out what the answer was, but you heard him object so he can explain it to you.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 701 So. 2d 593 - DeFreitas v. State