Sanders v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

23 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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “If before or during trial the court, of its own motion or upon motion of an attorney, has reasonable ground to believe that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial, the court shall order the defendant to submit to a mental examination by some competent psychiatrist selected by the court in accordance with § 99-13-11 of the Mississippi Code Annotated of 1972. After the examination the court shall conduct a hearing to determine if the defendant is competent to stand trial. After hearing all the evidence, the court shall weigh the evidence and make a determination of whether the defendant is competent to stand trial. If the court finds that the defendant is competent to stand trial, then the court shall make the finding a matter of record and the case will then proceed to trial. If the court finds that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial, then the court shall commit the defendant to the Mississippi State Hospital or other appropriate mental health facility.”

   7 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Coleman v. State · Erik Wayne Hollie v. State of Mississippi

2. “In the face of this plain language [of Rule 9.06], it is evident that it would be error not to hold a competency hearing once a trial court orders a psychiatric evaluation to determine competency to stand trial.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Terry Pitchford v. State of Mississippi · 198 So. 3d 325 - Eric LaQuinne Brown v. State of Mississippi

3. “[0]ne may argue or speculate that the appellate record before us today was sufficient to assume that [Keith] Sanders was competent to stand trial. However, we reiterate the fact that the appellate record before use contains no evidence that Sanders was found to be competent to stand trial. At a minimum, there was no definitive testimony or report that determined Sanders competent to stand trial. Thus, we are bound by the record before us. Without any evidence concerning Sanders’s competency to stand trial, to hold that testimony regarding sanity at the time of the offense is sufficient to demonstrate competency to stand trial would disregard and blur the well-established distinction between the two legal concepts.”

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