Commonwealth v. Cotto’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. “not too remote in the ordinary course of events, or forbidden by any rule of law.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 93 Mass. App. Ct. 469 - Commonwealth v. Alvarado · 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1126 - Commonwealth v. Rodriguez-Diaz

2. “Circumstantial evidence is competent to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 93 Mass. App. Ct. 469 - Commonwealth v. Alvarado · 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1126 - Commonwealth v. Rodriguez-Diaz

3. “Presence alone cannot show the requisite knowledge, power, or intention to exercise control over the contraband, but presence supplemented by other incriminating evidence, will serve to tip the scale in favor of sufficiency.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 92 Mass. App. Ct. 1126 - Commonwealth v. Rodriguez-Diaz