Mathews v. Commonwealth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 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 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “There are two clear parts to RCr 7.24(l)(a). The first requires that the Commonwealth “disclose the substance of any oral incriminating statement ... made by a defendant to any witness.” The second mandates that the Commonwealth give the defendant access to “any relevant written or recorded statements.” The reason that it is clear there are two separate parts to RCr 7.24(l)(a) is that the conjunction “and” is employed in the middle of the rule. Accordingly, there are two separate burdens imposed by RCr 7.24(l)(a). RCr 7.24(l)(a) demands disclosure of “any incriminating statement.” This is not a vague or complex concept. Basically anything that the defendant has said to a witness which in any way incriminates himself or herself must be disclosed to the defense. This part of the rule does not require that the statement even be recorded, simply that the Commonwealth know of the statement.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the dissent
   e.g. Chestnut v. Commonwealth