Devers v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “THE COURT: “* * * Now, Mr. Fannon [Assistant State’s Attorney], let me say this, if this were the world’s worst murder case, if this was a seriously involved case, if it were not for the fact that I sat on these other cases and had thrown the other three out — there are certain indications that have come into this trial which indicate they weren’t fully and completely resolved, which they were. Now, I am just trying to say that that is the fact. Here you have got a family squabble in here and this case should never have gone to trial. If it weren’t for the fact I sat on those other cases, and if it weren’t for my confidence the jury is going to acquit this man, I would give him a judgment of acquittal like that, and there isn’t a court attendant that doesn’t feel the same way about it. I don’t know what has got in your craw, but I think this is one good reason why everybody is going to go out of office, really I do. I think this case is a disgrace. And I will say this to every one of you, it is an absolute disgrace. * * *” * * * “Somebody says out of the courtroom — the rumors that go all over the courthouse about what is going on here, and about some other criminal case that was involved, but I must say we are here to try this one case. And I will tell you if I hadn’t sat in those others — and the people involved on the other side, there are such hard feelings by the phone company and by the people with Mrs. Devers, that the jury is going to get this case come no matter what”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Devers and Webster

2. ““ ‘When a motion for judgment of acquittal is made in a jury case it is the function of the lower court to determine whether or not the evidence before it is sufficient in law to sustain a conviction. If it determines that it is, it should deny the motion and submit the case to the jury; if it determines that it is not, it should grant the motion and the case does not reach the jury.* * *’ ””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 27 Md. App. 290 - State v. Sirbaugh

3. “the safety valve as to improper verdicts which is established by the rule as to new trials and which is a raison d’etre in giving trial courts discretionary power as to the grant of a new trial.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 129 Md. App. 611 - Isley v. State