State v. Sisneros’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

40 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 40 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““A reading of the confessions and of the testimony concerning the defendant’s mental capacities and his actions after the commission of the crime clearly demonstrates that he had sufficient mental capacity at that time to be conscious of what he was doing, to retain memory of his actions, and to relate with reasonable accuracy the details of his actions. This is all that was required, insofar as his mental state or condition is concerned, to support the voluntariness of the confession. As stated by Professor Henry Weihofen: ‘Incompetency at Time of Confession. For a defendnt to make a valid confession, he must have had sufficient mental capacity at the time to be conscious of the physical acts performed by him, to retain them in his memory, and to state them with reasonable accuracy. It has been held that when a confession is offered, if the defendant offers to prove that he was not mentally competent to make such confession, this issue should be tried before the confession is admitted. But mere mental instability or temporary lack of faculties only goes to the weight to be given the confession.’ (Emphasis added). Weihofen, Mental Disorder as a Criminal Defense, 455 (Dennis & Co., New York, 1954).””

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

2. ““For a defendant to make a valid confession, he must have had sufficient mental capacity at the time to be conscious of the physical acts performed by him, to retain them in his memory and to state them with reasonable accuracy.””

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