The doctrines Colorado courts name when they cite: mined from the sentence each citation lives in, keyed on the citing court, counted by distinct opinions. Entry by issue, not by case: pick one to see the cases on each side.
| # | Issue | Most-cited case | Opinions | Courts | Years | Last 5y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | plain error | People v. Miller | 714 | 2 | 1908–2026 | 191 |
| 2 | affirmative defense | People v. Pickering | 624 | 2 | 1891–2026 | 114 |
| 3 | due process clause | People Ex Rel. Jas | 563 | 2 | 1923–2026 | 80 |
| 4 | Miranda warning | Miranda v. Arizona | 318 | 3 | 1970–2026 | 47 |
| 5 | equal protection challenge | People v. Marcy | 279 | 3 | 1932–2026 | 20 |
| 6 | harmless error | Hagos v. People | 259 | 2 | 1891–2026 | 74 |
| 7 | exclusionary rule | United States v. Leon | 242 | 2 | 1969–2026 | 32 |
| 8 | warrant requirement | Coolidge v. New Hampshire | 238 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 27 |
| 9 | Colorado rule | Benton v. Adams | 183 | 3 | 1909–2026 | 19 |
| 10 | abuse of discretion standard | Carrillo v. People | 177 | 2 | 1978–2026 | 33 |
| 11 | Fifth Amendment privilege | Miranda v. Arizona | 177 | 2 | 1970–2026 | 19 |
| 12 | reasonable doubt standard | Chapman v. California | 177 | 2 | 1949–2026 | 60 |
| 13 | hearsay rule | People v. Dement | 174 | 2 | 1926–2026 | 29 |
| 14 | fundamental principle | Johnston v. City Council of Greenwood Village | 173 | 3 | 1890–2026 | 6 |
| 15 | litigation privilege | Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP Mari Newman and Towards Justice v. BKP, Inc. Ella Bliss Beauty Bar LLC Ella | 168 | 2 | 1990–2026 | 163 |
| 16 | tendered instruction | People v. Nunez | 161 | 2 | 1908–2026 | 17 |
| 17 | ineffective assistance of counsel claim | Strickland v. Washington | 158 | 2 | 1985–2026 | 92 |
| 18 | invited error | People v. Zapata | 155 | 2 | 1984–2026 | 61 |
| 19 | ineffective assistance claim | Strickland v. Washington | 153 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 100 |
| 20 | cumulative error | Howard-Walker v. People | 143 | 2 | 1983–2026 | 111 |
| 21 | rational basis test | Austin v. Litvak | 133 | 3 | 1981–2026 | 10 |
| 22 | Strickland test | Strickland v. Washington | 132 | 2 | 1987–2026 | 63 |
| 23 | known right privilege | People v. Rediger | 127 | 2 | 1977–2026 | 79 |
| 24 | separation of powers doctrine | Wimberly v. Ettenberg | 123 | 3 | 1959–2026 | 15 |
| 25 | home rule | City and County of Denver v. State | 121 | 3 | 1919–2026 | 6 |
| 26 | double jeopardy clause | People v. Tillery | 115 | 2 | 1972–2026 | 15 |
| 27 | attorney-client privilege | Wesp v. Everson | 109 | 2 | 1968–2026 | 16 |
| 28 | Fourth Amendment violation | Wong Sun v. United States | 109 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 16 |
| 29 | per se rule | People v. Romero | 109 | 2 | 1977–2026 | 7 |
| 30 | reasonable possibility error | People v. Garcia | 109 | 2 | 1985–2026 | 23 |
| 31 | law of the case doctrine | People v. Roybal | 105 | 2 | 1897–2026 | 25 |
| 32 | confrontation clause | Crawford v. Washington | 101 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 19 |
| 33 | providency hearing | People v. DiGuglielmo | 99 | 2 | 1973–2026 | 16 |
| 34 | vagueness challenge | Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. | 99 | 2 | 1973–2026 | 8 |
| 35 | constitutional harmless error | Hagos v. People | 95 | 2 | 2002–2026 | 36 |
| 36 | de novo standard | In Re the Marriage of Barker | 95 | 2 | 1973–2026 | 15 |
| 37 | sovereign immunity | Evans v. Board of County Commissioners | 93 | 2 | 1954–2026 | 6 |
| 38 | totality of the circumstances test | Illinois v. Gates | 89 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 18 |
| 39 | preponderance of the evidence standard | People in Interest of AMD | 88 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 14 |
| 40 | camera hearing | Jackson v. Denno | 84 | 2 | 1967–2026 | 3 |
| 41 | standing inquiry | Wimberly v. Ettenberg | 81 | 2 | 1977–2026 | 10 |
| 42 | implied waiver | People v. Arguello | 80 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 22 |
| 43 | qualified immunity | Harlow v. Fitzgerald | 80 | 2 | 1915–2026 | 6 |
| 44 | self-defense instruction | Beckett v. People | 79 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 31 |
| 45 | Spoto test | People v. Spoto | 76 | 2 | 1994–2026 | 39 |
| 46 | structural error | Neder v. United States | 73 | 2 | 1995–2026 | 16 |
| 47 | Batson analysis | Batson v. Kentucky | 72 | 2 | 1992–2026 | 29 |
| 48 | economic loss rule | Town of Alma v. AZCO Construction, Inc. | 70 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 18 |
| 49 | good faith exception | United States v. Leon | 69 | 3 | 1936–2026 | 14 |
| 50 | interests standard | Matter of Custody of CCRS | 68 | 2 | 1994–2026 | 32 |
| 51 | permanent orders hearing | In Re the Marriage of Wells | 68 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 48 |
| 52 | probable cause standard | Illinois v. Gates | 68 | 2 | 1971–2025 | 7 |
| 53 | reasonable efforts standard | People ex rel. S.N-V. | 68 | 2 | 2010–2026 | 62 |
| 54 | mootness doctrine | Anderson v. Applewood Water Ass'n, Inc | 64 | 2 | 1975–2026 | 23 |
| 55 | sufficiency of the evidence claim | Clark v. People | 62 | 2 | 1994–2026 | 24 |
| 56 | merger doctrine | Nelson v. Elway | 59 | 2 | 1895–2026 | 19 |
| 57 | plain view doctrine | Coolidge v. New Hampshire | 59 | 2 | 1970–2026 | 4 |
| 58 | Medina test | People v. Marquardt | 58 | 2 | 2016–2026 | 53 |
| 59 | conviction exception | Lopez v. People | 57 | 2 | 1957–2025 | 6 |
| 60 | elemental instruction | People v. Wilson | 57 | 2 | 1914–2026 | 14 |
| 61 | importance of mitigating factors | In Re Rosen | 57 | 2 | 2011–2022 | 2 |
| 62 | single-subject requirement | Matter of Title, Ballot Title, Sub. Cl. | 56 | 1 | 1995–2022 | 3 |
| 63 | reasonable probability error | People v. Garcia | 55 | 2 | 1983–2026 | 17 |
| 64 | First Amendment claim | Protect Our Mountain Environment, Inc. v. District Court in & for the County of Jefferson | 54 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 6 |
| 65 | knowing and intelligent waiver | Miranda v. Arizona | 54 | 2 | 1969–2026 | 4 |
| 66 | res judicata doctrine | Pomeroy v. Waitkus | 54 | 2 | 1888–2025 | 1 |
| 67 | appropriation doctrine | Thompson v. Colorado Ground Water Commission | 53 | 2 | 1892–2025 | 2 |
| 68 | bad faith claim | Travelers Insurance Co. v. Savio | 53 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 5 |
| 69 | motion without hearing | Ardolino v. People | 53 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 26 |
| 70 | collateral source rule | City & County of Denver v. Monaghan Farms, Inc. | 52 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 7 |
| 71 | overbreadth doctrine | Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. | 52 | 2 | 1979–2026 | 5 |
| 72 | clear and convincing standard | People in Interest of AMD | 51 | 2 | 1980–2025 | 4 |
| 73 | Sixth Amendment violation | Blakely v. Washington | 51 | 2 | 1981–2025 | 5 |
| 74 | flexible standard | Benson v. McCormick | 50 | 3 | 1964–2026 | 9 |
| 75 | physician-patient privilege | Clark v. District Court, Second Judicial District, City & County of Denver | 50 | 3 | 1971–2026 | 5 |
| 76 | theory of the case instruction | People v. Nunez | 49 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 4 |
| 77 | blood alcohol test | South Dakota v. Neville | 48 | 2 | 1946–2024 | 2 |
| 78 | cgia immunity | Walton v. State | 48 | 2 | 1998–2026 | 14 |
| 79 | burden of proving claim | Chapman v. California | 46 | 2 | 1938–2026 | 5 |
| 80 | American rule | Bernhard v. Farmers Insurance Exchange | 45 | 2 | 1881–2026 | 6 |
| 81 | individual claim | Harding Glass Co. v. Jones | 45 | 2 | 1978–2026 | 7 |
| 82 | interpretation rule | People v. Zhuk | 45 | 2 | 1952–2026 | 10 |
| 83 | statute of limitations defense | SMLL, L.L.C. v. Peak National Bank | 45 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 12 |
| 84 | substance claim | Hutchinson v. Hutchinson | 45 | 2 | 1910–2026 | 10 |
| 85 | lesser included offense instruction | People v. Romero | 44 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 12 |
| 86 | Aguilar-Spinelli test | Spinelli v. United States | 43 | 2 | 1973–2021 | 1 |
| 87 | case-by-case analysis | In Re People v. Elmarr | 43 | 2 | 1976–2026 | 10 |
| 88 | party presentation principle | v. People | 43 | 2 | 2016–2026 | 39 |
| 89 | prejudicial error | Webb v. Dessert Seed Co., Inc. | 43 | 2 | 1905–2026 | 5 |
| 90 | void-for-vagueness challenge | Connally v. General Construction Co. | 43 | 2 | 1978–2024 | 2 |
| 91 | unjust enrichment claim | Lewis v. Lewis | 42 | 2 | 1989–2026 | 16 |
| 92 | exigent circumstances exception | McCall v. People | 41 | 2 | 1977–2026 | 4 |
| 93 | opportunity to correct any error | People v. Pahl | 41 | 2 | 1989–2026 | 15 |
| 94 | pattern instruction | Bogdanov v. People | 41 | 3 | 1953–2026 | 12 |
| 95 | scrutiny standard | Romer v. Evans | 41 | 2 | 1977–2022 | 2 |
| 96 | unanimity instruction | Melina v. People | 41 | 2 | 1984–2025 | 9 |
| 97 | res gestae doctrine | Brooke E. Rojas v. The People of the State of Colorado | 40 | 2 | 1954–2026 | 24 |
| 98 | speedy trial violation | Barker v. Wingo | 40 | 2 | 1975–2026 | 11 |
| 99 | Troxel presumption | Troxel v. Granville | 40 | 2 | 2004–2026 | 16 |
| 100 | burden of establishing waiver | Clark v. District Court, Second Judicial District, City & County of Denver | 39 | 2 | 1975–2026 | 10 |
| 101 | injury-in-fact requirement | Ainscough v. Owens | 39 | 2 | 1984–2026 | 8 |
| 102 | res ipsa loquitur doctrine | Weiss v. Axler | 39 | 2 | 1932–2022 | 2 |
| 103 | supplemental instruction | Leonardo v. People | 39 | 2 | 1949–2026 | 18 |
| 104 | automobile exception | United States v. Ross | 38 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 5 |
| 105 | ballot title and submission clause | Cordero v. Leahy | 38 | 2 | 1980–2025 | 5 |
| 106 | judicially created rule | Armintrout v. People | 38 | 2 | 1983–2025 | 9 |
| 107 | nonconstitutional harmless error | Hagos v. People | 38 | 2 | 2014–2026 | 28 |
| 108 | Trinity hearing | Trinity Broadcasting of Denver, Inc. v. City of Westminster | 38 | 2 | 1993–2026 | 17 |
| 109 | preponderance standard | People v. Taylor | 37 | 2 | 1961–2026 | 8 |
| 110 | prima facie violation | Duren v. Missouri | 37 | 2 | 1896–2025 | 4 |
| 111 | purposes rule | Hoagland v. Creed | 37 | 3 | 1883–2026 | 3 |
| 112 | reliability requirement | People v. Shreck | 37 | 2 | 1990–2026 | 8 |
| 113 | respondeat superior doctrine | Hamm v. Thompson | 37 | 2 | 1928–2021 | 1 |
| 114 | voluntariness inquiry | Colorado v. Connelly | 37 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 9 |
| 115 | Blakely rule | Lopez v. People | 36 | 2 | 2005–2025 | 6 |
| 116 | categorical rule | City & County Denver v. United Air Lines, Inc. | 36 | 2 | 1987–2026 | 5 |
| 117 | compliance standard | Brock v. Nyland | 36 | 2 | 1890–2026 | 3 |
| 118 | exhaustion requirement | State v. Golden's Concrete Co. | 36 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 5 |
| 119 | plausible claim | Warne v. Hall | 36 | 2 | 2014–2026 | 24 |
| 120 | proportionality principle | Solem v. Helm | 36 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 18 |
| 121 | source doctrine | People v. Schoondermark | 36 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 8 |
| 122 | three-factor test | Goodman Associates, LLC v. WP Mountain Properties, LLC | 36 | 2 | 1984–2026 | 4 |
| 123 | contention error | In re the Marriage of Drexler | 35 | 2 | 1924–2026 | 9 |
| 124 | demanding standard | Alabama v. White | 35 | 2 | 1986–2026 | 10 |
| 125 | negligence per se instruction | Leaf v. Beihoffer | 35 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 5 |
| 126 | parol evidence rule | Stevens v. Vail Associates, Inc. | 35 | 2 | 1924–2025 | 2 |
| 127 | personal privilege | Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad v. Roberts | 35 | 2 | 1887–2021 | 1 |
| 128 | aggressor instruction | v. Roberts-Bicking | 34 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 24 |
| 129 | excited utterance exception | People v. Martinez | 34 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 5 |
| 130 | laches doctrine | Greeley and Loveland Irrigation Co. v. McCloughan | 34 | 2 | 1894–2026 | 3 |
| 131 | Shreck hearing | People v. Shreck | 34 | 2 | 2005–2026 | 16 |
| 132 | estoppel doctrine | Crawford v. McLaughlin | 33 | 2 | 1891–2025 | 1 |
| 133 | generally accepted rule | State Board of Medical Examiners v. McCroskey | 33 | 2 | 1913–2025 | 2 |
| 134 | jury followed instruction | People v. Moody | 33 | 2 | 1919–2025 | 4 |
| 135 | mens rea requirement | People v. Ramirez | 33 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 7 |
| 136 | circumstances test | People v. Pannebaker | 32 | 2 | 1945–2026 | 5 |
| 137 | concluded standard | Joe Harry Pegg v. United States | 32 | 2 | 1959–2026 | 7 |
| 138 | contemporaneous objection rule | People v. Pahl | 32 | 2 | 1967–2025 | 4 |
| 139 | ethical rule | People v. Smith | 32 | 2 | 1987–2022 | 1 |
| 140 | insanity defense | People v. Thomson | 32 | 2 | 1979–2026 | 1 |
| 141 | parole violation | People v. Shackelford | 32 | 2 | 1975–2025 | 5 |
| 142 | preemption analysis | Board of County Commissioners v. Bowen/Edwards Associates, Inc. | 32 | 2 | 1972–2025 | 3 |
| 143 | voluntary waiver | People v. Arguello | 32 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 8 |
| 144 | firmly rooted hearsay exception | Ohio v. Roberts | 31 | 2 | 1982–2017 | 0 |
| 145 | hearing claim | Strickland v. Washington | 31 | 2 | 1891–2026 | 8 |
| 146 | modern doctrine | Lyne v. Sanford | 31 | 2 | 1896–2023 | 2 |
| 147 | probation revocation hearing | Byrd v. People | 31 | 2 | 1974–2025 | 2 |
| 148 | right to present defense | Taylor v. Illinois | 31 | 2 | 1894–2026 | 11 |
| 149 | subject matter inquiry | People v. P.R.G. | 31 | 3 | 1968–2010 | 0 |
| 150 | clear and convincing evidence standard | Santosky v. Kramer | 30 | 2 | 1982–2025 | 2 |
Top 150 by distinct citing opinions.