Crabb v. Zerbst’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

33 federal appellate · 3 district · 2 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 45 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[The words steal and purloin were added to the section specifying embezzlement] to cover such cases as may shade into larceny, as well as any new situation which may arise under changing modern conditions and not envisioned under the common law * * *. Between * * * [embezzlement and larceny] there lies a gap which has grown wider and wider as the multifarious activities of the central government have spread and increased. Stealing, having no common law definition to restrict its meaning as an offense, is commonly used to denote any dishonest transaction whereby one person obtains that which rightfully belongs to another, and deprives the owner of the rights and benefits of ownership * * *.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Mitchell v. United States · United States v. Darrell

2. “"The obvious purpose of this [statute] is to avoid the pitfalls of pleading where a defendant might escape a conviction for one offense by proof he had committed another." Crabb v. Zerbst, 5 Cir.1938, 99 F.2d 562 .”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 171 So. 2d 591 - Rosengarten v. State · 237 F. Supp. 767 - Berman v. Local 107, International Brotherhood of Teamsters