State v. Dowling’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

20 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 20 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “A defendant held to answer at the circuit court for the commission of a crime cannot safely rely on the promises of witnesses to appear at the trial and testify, but he must see that they are subpoenaed, or their evidence taken, when it can properly be done, at the earliest possible date, in order to be in a position to ask for a continuance on account of their absence.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Letcher · State v. DuBray

2. ““* * * a motion for a new trial is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court and the only function of the Supreme Court is to determine whether the trial court has abused its discretion * * See also State v. Larkin, 87 S.D. 61 , 202 N.W.2d 862 ; State v. Lambert, 60 S.D. 172 , 244 N.W. 118 , and State v. Ruhaak, 59 S.D. 636 , 241 N.W. 793 .”

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

3. “An accused is entitled as a matter of right to a reasonable opportunity to secure evidence on his behalf[.]”

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