Commonwealth v. Beck’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The Election Code reporting requirements carry out the evident legislative intent that expense accounts of candidates for public office be subject to the closest scrutiny.... In Commonwealth v. Beck, 810 A.2d 736 (Pa.Cmwlth.2002), we explained: The importance of campaign reporting requirements is obvious: by preserving public access to the manner in which campaign money is received and spent, public confidence in the election process is maintained. [Can didate’s] willful refusal to comply with the registration and reporting requirements prevents verification of campaign receipts and expenses, thereby imperiling confidence in the election. This is the mischief the Legislature sought to avoid....”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. In re Petition to Audit Campaign Finance Reports of Cartwright · In re Audit Campaign Finance Reports of Dawkins

2. “Section 1851 of the Election Code, which disqualifies a candidate who is found guilty of any violation of the [Election] Code from holding office, provides: Any person who shall, while a candidate for office, be guilty of bribery, fraud or willful violation of any provision of this act, shall be forever disqualified from holding said office or any other office of trust or profit in this Commonwealth. 25 P.S. § 3551 (emphasis added). Therefore, before the penalty of disqualification can be entered, a willful violation must be proved.... Under Section 302(b)(2) of the Crimes Code: A person acts knowingly with respect to a material element of an offense when: (i) if the element involves the nature of his conduct or the attendant circumstances, he is aware that his conduct is of that nature or that such circumstances exist; and (ii) if the element involves a result of his conduct, he is aware that it is practically certain that his conduct will cause such a result. 18 Pa.C.S. § 302(b)(2). Pursuant to the definition of ‘willfully’ provided in the Crimes Code, the Commonwealth had to prove beyond a rea- sonable doubt that [the candidate] was aware of the applicable reporting requirements and willfully failed to file the required reports, that is, the failure to file was not done innocently or inadvertently.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. In re Audit Campaign Finance Reports of Dawkins