Wells v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

16 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 16 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"[O]nce a circuit court has considered one motion for reconsideration of sentence filed by a defendant in a particular case, the defendant's rights with regard to that case will have been sufficiently safeguarded. Thereafter, the circuit court will not have jurisdiction to [grant] any second or successive motions for reconsideration filed by that defendant in that particular case. Instead, it should summarily deny any such motion."”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ex Parte Gunn · Holt v. State

2. ““ ‘[W]e must strike a proper balance between our interest in preserving the finality of judgments, and, thus, promoting the efficient administration of criminal justice, and our interest in safeguarding the rights of the accused. A careful balancing of these concerns is, in our view, necessary to foster stability and confidence in the judicial system.’ ””

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