Commonwealth v. Bell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 district · 15 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 17 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “is considerably less exacting than the requirement that a judge must apply at trial.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 92 Mass. App. Ct. 538 - Commonwealth v. Johnson · 93 Mass. App. Ct. 1101 - Commonwealth v. Germaini

2. “All that is required is 'reasonably trustworthy information ... sufficient to warrant a prudent [person] in believing that the defendant had committed ... an offense.'”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 92 Mass. App. Ct. 538 - Commonwealth v. Johnson · 93 Mass. App. Ct. 1101 - Commonwealth v. Germaini

3. “A judge considering a motion to dismiss should not confuse the question of probable cause ... with questions more properly resolved by the fact finder at trial”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Commonwealth v. Brennan · 92 Mass. App. Ct. 538 - Commonwealth v. Johnson