8 Va. App. 417 - Diffendal v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

44 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 46 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[I]t is not desirable to multiply instructions. Moreover, any instruction that is given should relate to the specific evidence in the case and should not incorrectly state the law or mislead the jury.... [T]he trial judge may properly refuse any instructions that are misleading or redundant.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 46 Va. App. 234 - Stevens v. Commonwealth · 44 Va. App. 122 - Stevens v. Commonwealth

2. “evidence tends to sustain both the prosecution's and the defense's theory of the case, the trial judge is required to give requested instructions covering both theories.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 16 Va. App. 300 - Lea v. Commonwealth · 28 Va. App. 771 - Alexander v. Commonwealth

3. “As this Court noted in Cooper v. Commonwealth, 2 Va.App. 497 , [500,] 345 S.E.2d 775 [, 777] (1986), `[t]he purpose of an instruction is to furnish guidance to the jury in their deliberations, and to aid them in arriving at a proper verdict.'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 31 Va. App. 662 - Graham v. Commonwealth