Carter v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 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 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[Strategic choices made after thorough investigation of law and facts relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable; and strategic choices made after less than complete investigation are reasonable precisely to the extent that reasonable professional judgments support the limitations on investigation. In other words, counsel has a duty to make reasonable investigations or to make a reasonable decision that makes particular investigations unnecessary. In any ineffectiveness case, a particular decision not to investigate must be directly assessed for reasonableness in all the circumstances, applying a heavy measure of deference to counsel’s judgments.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 803 So. 2d 1229 - Triggs v. State · 163 So. 3d 240 - Marlon Latodd Howell v. State of Mississippi

2. “¶ 8. Th[is] Court has followed a rule that “the failure of the trial court to advise the defendant of the elements of the charge may be harmless error if it can be shown that prior to the plea the defendant had been advised through other sources of the critical elements of the crime with which he is charged.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ferguson v. State · 936 So. 2d 993 - Jones v. State

3. “[A] factual basis is an `essential part of the constitutionally valid and enforceable decision to plead guilty.'”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Simoneaux v. State · 983 So. 2d 348 - Knight v. State