Combs v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 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 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “This Court has recognized that “neither the prosecution nor the defense may call a witness knowing that the witness will assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination,” and we have applied this black-letter law in cases where a witness invokes the privilege in order to avoid answering any substantive questions.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Alexander v. Commonwealth

2. “trial judge may or even must limit the government's cross-examination on collateral matters if this can be done without unduly limiting the government and if doing so will preserve the defendant's ability to call a material witness who would otherwise claim the privilege.[”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 968 So. 2d 99 - Sule v. State