State v. ANN HELTON’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

41 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 41 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"The sudden heat of passion contemplated by the voluntary manslaughter statute is descriptive of just such a state of mind, and it may occur from any emotional excitement of such intensity that it temporarily obscures reason, or leaves the mind bereft of reason."”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Jeremiah Ethan Samuel Shull v. State · Stone v. State

2. ““ * * * It [the state] did, however, elect to rely upon the testimony of the defendant to prove necessary elements of its charge and, under the law of this state, as announced in Eagan v. State, 58 Wyo. 167, 198 , 128 P.2d 215, 226 , the defendant being the sole witness to the transaction charged as a crime, her testimony must be accepted as true, as it ‘ * * * is not improbable, and is not inconsistent with the facts and circumstances shown, but is reasonably consistent therewith ***.’””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Alexander · State v. Lindsay

3. ““ * * * [I]t is evident that in charging an intent to commit murder in the first degree there is necessarily included a charge of intent to commit murder in the second degree and voluntary manslaughter. “Under our statute murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree and manslaughter each involves a felonious killing; to constitute the first it must be done with premeditated malice; the second is a killing with malice, but with the element of premeditation omitted, while in the case of voluntary manslaughter there is an intentional killing but without any element of malice or premeditation. It is therefore evident, we think, that the intent to commit murder in the second degree is specifically and sufficiently charged in the information and proof of such intent fitted the allegation. And so of intent to commit manslaughter. Proof can not be made of assault with intent to commit murder in the first degree which does not at the same time furnish appropriate and sufficient evidence to sustain a verdict for the lower, or included offenses of assault with intent to commit murder in the second degree and manslaughter.””

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