Commonwealth v. Packer’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

1 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 1 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “We note that the General Assembly does not intend a result that is unreasonable or absurd. Section 1922 of the Statutory Construction Act, 1 Pa.C.S. § 1922. However, if we interpreted section 610(1) as applying to "mere employees," unreasonable and absurd results would occur. All employees in this Commonwealth would risk criminal sanction when handling solid waste if their employers failed to obtain necessary permits. Moreover, because the SWMA imposes absolute criminal liability, see Section 606(i) of the SWMA, 35 P.S. § 6018.606(i) and Baumgardner Oil Co., it would be no defense to employees that their employers explicitly told them that the necessary permits had been obtained.”

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

2. “"Person" is defined as any "individual... or any other legal entity ... recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties." Section 103 of the SWMA, 35 P.S. 6018.103. Thus, to convict a person for violating section 610(1), the Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person who had a duty to obtain a permit dumped or deposited solid waste without obtaining a permit.”

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

3. “you mean you don't know that the tires were buried there.”

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