Ex Parte Carroll’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 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 9 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"Given the jury's recommendation of life imprisonment without parole; the recommendation of the victim's family that the defendant be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole; the fact that the defendant was 17 years old when he committed the crime; and the circumstances of the crime (particularly that the defendant made no attempt to kill the witnesses to the crime), ... the sentence of death is excessive and disproportionate."”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ferguson v. State · 852 So. 2d 833 - Ex Parte Carroll

2. ““Phillip Wayne Tomlin was convicted, for the fourth time, of the intentional murders of Bruñe and Moore, an offense made capital because two people were intentionally killed pursuant to one act or a series of acts. See § 13 — 11— 2(a)(10), Ala.Code 1975 (repealed). “The jury at Tomlin’s fourth trial was not asked to make a sentencing recommendation. Instead, the parties stipulated that the jury at Tomlin’s third trial, by a vote of 12-0, had recommended that Tomlin be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court overrode the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Tomlin to death.””

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