Sonnier v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 81 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 83 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Appellant must realize that it is precisely the quality which we describe as “powerful” which gives rise to his arguments that the photographs are prejudi-cially inflammatory. But when the power of the visible evidence emanates from nothing more than what the defendant has himself done we cannot hold that the trial court has abused its discretion merely because it admitted the evidence. A trial court does not err merely because it admits into evidence photographs which are gruesome.”

   6 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Salvador Rodriguez v. State · Paredes v. State

2. “(1) the number of exhibits offered; (2) their gruesomeness, detail, and size; (3) whether they are black and white or color; (4) whether they are close-up; (5) whether the body is naked or clothed; and (6) the availability of other means of proof and the circumstances unique to each individual case.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Salvador Rodriguez v. State · Yates v. State

3. “Appellant heinously murdered M. Flowers and her two-year-old son. M. Flowers’ murder involved needless and vicious brutality; Appellant stabbed, strangled, bludgeoned her head with the claw of a hammer, and crushed her neck by stomping it. The condition of the apartment suggested that appellant followed M. Flowers, stabbing and beating her throughout her apartment as she apparently struggled for her life and the lives of her children. The murder of P. Flowers, an infant still learning to speak, was wanton; the infant was fatally stabbed through the heart as he lay on his bed and his body was dragged to the bathroom where it was tossed in the bathtub atop his mother’s corpse. He was stabbed eight times. The jury could rationally conclude from the results of appellant’s isolated rage that his rage is of such an uncontrollable and extreme nature that he is a continuing danger to society.”

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