State v. . Speller’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 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. “The right to wear secret weapons is no more essential to the protection of one man than another, and surely it cannot be supposed that the law intends that an unwary advantage should be taken even of an enemy. Hence it takes no note whether the secret carrying be done in a spirit of foolish recklessness or from a sense of apprehended danger, but in either case declares it to be unlawful. Indeed, were there any difference made we might expect it to be against one who felt himself to be under some pressure of necessity, since in his case the mischievous consequences intended to be avoided might the more reasonably be anticipated. And it would be a strange passage in the history of legislation to enact that it shall be unlawful for any person to carry concealed weapons about his person except when it may be supposed he shall have occasion to use them.”

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

2. “But without any constitutional provision whatever on the subject, can it be doubted that the Legislature might by law regulate this right to bear arms—as they do all other rights whether inherent or otherwise—and require it to be exercised in a manner conducive to the peace and safety of the public?”

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