Loden v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 federal appellate · 32 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 35 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"When reviewing a lower court's decision to deny a petition for post conviction relief this Court will not disturb the trial court's factual findings unless they are found to be clearly erroneous." Brown v. State, 731 So.2d 595, 598 (Miss.1999) (citing Bank of Mississippi v. Southern Mem'l Park, Inc., 677 So.2d 186, 191 (Miss.1996)) (emphasis added). In making that determination, "[t]his Court must examine the entire record and accept `that evidence which supports or reasonably tends to support the findings of fact made below, together with all reasonable inferences which may be drawn therefrom and which favor the lower court's findings of fact....'" Mullins v. Ratcliff, 515 So.2d 1183, 1189 (Miss.1987) (quoting Cotton v. McConnell, 435 So.2d 683, 685 (Miss.1983)). That includes deference to the circuit judge as the "sole authority for determining credibility of the witnesses." Mullins, 515 So.2d at 1189 (citing Hall v. State ex rel. Waller, 247 Miss. 896, 903 , 157 So.2d 781, 784 (1963)).”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Doss v. State · Loden v. State

2. “[Cjonvictions upon indictments for capital murder and séntences of death must be subjected to “heightened scrutiny.” Balfour v. State, 598 So.2d 731, 739 (Miss.1992). Under this method of review, all doubts are to be resolved in favor of the accused because “what may be harmless error in a case with less at stake becomes reversible error when the penalty is death.” Id. (quoting Irving v. State, 361 So.2d 1360, 1363 (Miss.1978)).”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Wilson v. State · 49 So. 3d 1073 - Moffett v. State

3. “[o]ur death penalty statute clearly states the only aggravating circumstances which may be relied upon by the prosecution in seeking the ultimate punishment.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 49 So. 3d 1073 - Moffett v. State · 45 So. 3d 216 - Pitchford v. State