State v. Bates’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

35 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 38 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “We have considered whether the error in admission of defendant’s first confession into evidence was reversible pursuant to the harmless error requirement set forth in Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18 , 87 S.Ct. 824 , 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). Viewing the evidence as a whole, applying those standards, we are satisfied that admission of defendant’s September 2nd statement was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt and there is no reasonable possibility that the evidence obtained contributed to his conviction. Most of the evidence in the case, with the exception of his actual admission to the homicide, was gathered by law enforcement officers during the course of their investigation of Ms. Guida’s disappearance. Beginning with the first traveler’s check, which was cashed in Abingdon, Virginia, defendant left a trail which led unerringly to him, up to and including his arrest, when he was found in possession of the vehicle she had leased on her fateful mission to Tennessee. Moreover, defendant made not two, but three statements. If we were to find that both of the statements to authorities were inadmissible ..., he would still have to overcome the unsolicited admission made by him to Paul Garter while both men were confined in the Coffee County Jail. This statement ... included all of the essential elements of the two admissions made to the authorities. Defendant’s sentencing hearing, including the voir dire of the jury, consumed approximately two weeks, during which the jury members ”

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

2. “It was clearly improper for the State’s counsel to make the comments which they did. Likewise, the name-calling was inappropriate .... However, considering the nature of the crime involved and all the facts surrounding the homicide, we have concluded that the improper conduct in closing argument by the State’s lawyers did not affect the verdict to the prejudice of defendant, and did not warrant reversal of the conviction. However, they might be well advised to adhere more rigidly to the disciplinary rules promulgated by the court for the conduct of counsel at trial.”

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

3. “the defense was molded around the theory that a life sentence was appropriate because the defendant was mentally disturbed to a degree that it lessened his culpability. . . . The State's argument was in direct response to defendant's mitigating theory and was not improper under the circumstances of this case.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. James David Carter v. Ricky Bell, Warden Paul Summers, Attorney General