Ross v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

32 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 32 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It is a familiar principle that statutes which are criminal or penal in their nature or which are in derogation of a common-law right must be strictly construed.”

   6 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Burrus v. State · Olatunji v. State

2. “In light of the statutory construction favoring more specific statutes as op posed to more general ones and because of the Rule of Lenity, a misdemeanor conviction under the handgun statute, onee elevated to a felony due to a prior felony conviction, should not be enhanced again under the general habitual offender statute.”

   5 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Downey · Lewis v. State

3. “[When faced with a general statute and a specific statute on the same subject, the more specific one should be applied.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. S.M. v. S.G. · State Farm Insurance v. Freeman