Phillips v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “`Our decision not to address [the merits of] the remaining issues raised by the appellant should not be construed as an approval of the manner in which the trial was conducted in regard to those issues.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Culpepper v. State · Evans v. State

2. “"A person commits the crime of reckless murder if `[u]nder circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, he recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to a person other than himself, and thereby causes the death of another person.' § 13A-6-2(a)(2), Ala.Code 1975. A charge on reckless murder is not appropriate if the defendant's actions are directed toward one particular person. Sockwell v. State, 675 So.2d 4 (Ala.Cr. App.1993), aff'd, 675 So.2d 38 (Ala.1995), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 838 , 117 S.Ct. 115 , 136 L.Ed.2d 67 (1996); Fisher v. State, 587 So.2d 1027 (Ala.Cr.App.), cert. denied, 587 So.2d 1039 (Ala.1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 941 , 112 S.Ct. 1486 , 117 L.Ed.2d 628 (1992); Walker v. State, 523 So.2d 528 (Ala.Cr.App.1988); Northington v. State, 413 So.2d 1169 (Ala.Cr.App. 1981). In Northington , we explained: "`The evidence in this case, even when viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, reveals that the defendant's acts and omissions were specifically directed at a particular victim and no other. "`The State presented no evidence that the defendant engaged in conduct "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life" for, while the defendant's conduct did indeed evidence an extreme indifference to the life of her child, there was nothing to show that the conduct displayed an extreme indifference to human life generally. Although the defendant's conduct created a grave risk of death to another and t”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 799 So. 2d 966 - Flowers v. State

3. “"No party may assign as error the court's giving or failing to give a written instruction, or the giving of an erroneous, misleading, incomplete, or otherwise improper oral charge, unless the party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating the matter to which he or she objects and the grounds of the objection. Opportunity shall be given to make the objection out of the hearing of the jury."”

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