Dillon v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 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 3 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “THE COURT: It’s the [cjourt’s understanding that the district attorney’s office is allowing you to plead guilty from capital murder to the lesser included offense of murder. Do you understand for the lesser included offense of murder, the sentence in this case will be life in prison with-in the custody of [the] Mississippi Department of Corrections? Do you understand that to be the recommendation? HIGGINBOTHAM: Yes, sir. THE COURT: And do you understand if you were tried and convicted of the ' crime of capital murder[,] that a jury could affix the death penalty upon you, and you could be sentenced to death? HIGGINBOTHAM: Yes, sir. THE COURT: And if they didn’t sentence you to death, the penalty for capital murder would be life in prison without parole. HIGGINBOTHAM: Yes, sir. THE COURT: But on the straight life — I mean on straight murder, it is a life sentence. Do you understand that? HIGGINBOTHAM: Yes, sir.”

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

2. “If before or during trial the court, of its own motion or upon motion of an attorney, has reasonable ground to believe that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial, the court shall order the defendant to submit to a mental examination by some competent psychiatrist selected by the court in accordance with [section] 99-13-11 of the Mississippi Code Annotated of 1972.”

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