The doctrines New York 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 | affirmative defense | People v. Patterson | 3,133 | 39 | 1870–2026 | 441 |
| 2 | Miranda warning | Miranda v. Arizona | 2,240 | 33 | 1966–2026 | 206 |
| 3 | late notice claim | Pierson v. City of New York | 1,820 | 15 | 1939–2026 | 191 |
| 4 | hearsay rule | People v. Brown | 1,697 | 32 | 1905–2026 | 206 |
| 5 | potentially meritorious defense | Fried v. Jacob Holding, Inc. | 1,321 | 19 | 1978–2026 | 391 |
| 6 | mootness doctrine | Hearst Corp. v. Clyne | 1,305 | 10 | 1976–2026 | 233 |
| 7 | Wade hearing | United States v. Wade | 1,204 | 20 | 1971–2026 | 54 |
| 8 | Huntley hearing | People v. Huntley | 1,022 | 28 | 1965–2026 | 113 |
| 9 | due process clause | Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth | 943 | 34 | 1907–2026 | 65 |
| 10 | fundamental principle | Hearst Corp. v. Clyne | 938 | 30 | 1815–2026 | 73 |
| 11 | res judicata doctrine | O'Brien v. City of Syracuse | 897 | 19 | 1932–2026 | 140 |
| 12 | essential facts constituting claim | Felice v. Eastport/South Manor Central School District | 846 | 9 | 1947–2026 | 152 |
| 13 | law of the case doctrine | Martin v. City of Cohoes | 833 | 21 | 1923–2026 | 174 |
| 14 | timely notice claim | Williams v. Nassau County Medical Center | 830 | 10 | 1957–2026 | 127 |
| 15 | justification defense | People v. Contes | 780 | 17 | 1925–2026 | 110 |
| 16 | collateral estoppel doctrine | Ryan v. New York Telephone Co. | 740 | 22 | 1955–2026 | 102 |
| 17 | qualified privilege | Liberman v. Gelstein | 703 | 14 | 1860–2025 | 58 |
| 18 | Sandoval hearing | People v. Sandoval | 692 | 19 | 1975–2026 | 51 |
| 19 | Batson challenge | Batson v. Kentucky | 635 | 6 | 1988–2026 | 66 |
| 20 | equal protection clause | Reed v. Reed | 604 | 22 | 1932–2026 | 21 |
| 21 | emergency doctrine | Rivera v. New York City Transit Authority | 585 | 16 | 1888–2026 | 102 |
| 22 | Brady violation | Brady v. Maryland | 573 | 13 | 1935–2026 | 87 |
| 23 | facts constituting claim | Woodson v. Mendon Leasing Corp. | 572 | 20 | 1893–2026 | 200 |
| 24 | evidence adduced hearing | In re Lawrence Clinton S. | 555 | 11 | 1936–2026 | 73 |
| 25 | exclusionary rule | Mapp v. Ohio | 555 | 26 | 1960–2026 | 39 |
| 26 | cross claim | Zuckerman v. City of New York | 550 | 12 | 1911–2026 | 30 |
| 27 | sora hearing | People v. Gillotti | 540 | 10 | 1999–2026 | 219 |
| 28 | written notice requirement | Amabile v. City of Buffalo | 525 | 10 | 1860–2026 | 95 |
| 29 | Rosario violation | People v. Rosario | 487 | 11 | 1973–2025 | 19 |
| 30 | merger doctrine | People v. Cassidy | 473 | 19 | 1823–2026 | 66 |
| 31 | continuous treatment doctrine | McDermott v. Torre | 470 | 8 | 1975–2026 | 36 |
| 32 | attorney-client privilege | Priest v. Hennessy | 467 | 18 | 1952–2026 | 81 |
| 33 | warrant requirement | People v. Blasich | 448 | 20 | 1950–2026 | 59 |
| 34 | relation-back doctrine | Buran v. Coupal | 429 | 9 | 1929–2026 | 112 |
| 35 | fair response defense | People v. Galloway | 428 | 4 | 1975–2026 | 18 |
| 36 | statute of limitations defense | Zumpano v. Quinn | 423 | 18 | 1894–2026 | 72 |
| 37 | Fifth Amendment privilege | Miranda v. Arizona | 416 | 21 | 1956–2026 | 20 |
| 38 | res ipsa loquitur doctrine | Kambat v. St. Francis Hospital | 416 | 16 | 1897–2026 | 40 |
| 39 | interests analysis | Eschbach v. Eschbach | 414 | 11 | 1976–2026 | 108 |
| 40 | parol evidence rule | Marine Midland Bank-Southern v. Thurlow | 399 | 18 | 1906–2026 | 38 |
| 41 | Frye hearing | People v. Wesley | 396 | 22 | 1979–2026 | 57 |
| 42 | respondeat superior doctrine | Riviello v. Waldron | 391 | 15 | 1876–2026 | 78 |
| 43 | contention hearing | Miranda v. Arizona | 382 | 12 | 1889–2026 | 36 |
| 44 | residuary clause | Lamb v. . Lamb | 382 | 7 | 1838–2017 | 0 |
| 45 | exception to the preservation requirement | People v. Lopez | 375 | 4 | 1988–2026 | 71 |
| 46 | agency defense | People v. Lam Lek Chong | 373 | 10 | 1857–2026 | 15 |
| 47 | mode of proceedings error | People v. O'Rama | 369 | 5 | 2001–2026 | 68 |
| 48 | existence of a meritorious defense | Gibbs v. St. Barnabas Hospital | 367 | 12 | 1961–2026 | 24 |
| 49 | indemnification clause | Hooper Associates Ltd. v. AGS Computers, Inc. | 344 | 10 | 1962–2026 | 79 |
| 50 | business judgment rule | 40 West 67th Street v. Pullman | 343 | 10 | 1957–2026 | 84 |
| 51 | business records exception | In re Leon RR | 343 | 20 | 1975–2026 | 53 |
| 52 | reconstruction hearing | People v. Glass | 341 | 5 | 1977–2026 | 23 |
| 53 | alibi defense | People v. Victor | 337 | 9 | 1910–2026 | 17 |
| 54 | equitable estoppel doctrine | MTR. OF SHONDEL J. v. Mark D. | 334 | 19 | 1878–2026 | 33 |
| 55 | default and a meritorious defense | Putney v. Pearlman | 329 | 8 | 1976–2026 | 33 |
| 56 | written appeal waiver | People v. Bradshaw | 325 | 3 | 1999–2026 | 100 |
| 57 | per se rule | People v. Jackson | 323 | 22 | 1952–2026 | 28 |
| 58 | physician-patient privilege | Dillenbeck v. Hess | 323 | 20 | 1948–2026 | 30 |
| 59 | valid appeal waiver | People v. Lopez | 321 | 4 | 2005–2026 | 136 |
| 60 | record supports hearing | Riley v. Sullivan | 319 | 3 | 1982–2026 | 12 |
| 61 | motion without hearing | People v. Satterfield | 317 | 9 | 1969–2026 | 44 |
| 62 | parole violation | Morrissey v. Brewer | 314 | 10 | 1963–2025 | 14 |
| 63 | assumption of risk doctrine | Morgan v. State | 313 | 10 | 1927–2026 | 64 |
| 64 | Aguilar-Spinelli test | Spinelli v. United States | 312 | 9 | 1975–2025 | 32 |
| 65 | prima facie violation | Forrest v. Jewish Guild for the Blind | 308 | 18 | 1827–2026 | 55 |
| 66 | advantage of seeing hearing | Northern Westchester Professional Park Associates v. Town of Bedford | 304 | 4 | 1931–2026 | 70 |
| 67 | Lincoln hearing | Lincoln v. Lincoln | 292 | 7 | 1981–2026 | 73 |
| 68 | prison disciplinary rule | Foster v. Coughlin | 291 | 3 | 1974–2025 | 6 |
| 69 | Mapp hearing | Mapp v. Ohio | 290 | 21 | 1966–2026 | 51 |
| 70 | Molineux rule | People v. . Molineux | 290 | 12 | 1971–2026 | 74 |
| 71 | bona fide defense | Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank, B.A. v. Francisco Javier Herrera Navarro | 289 | 12 | 1878–2026 | 45 |
| 72 | laches doctrine | Edenwald Contracting Co. v. City of New York | 283 | 16 | 1887–2026 | 44 |
| 73 | traverse hearing | NYCTL 1998-1 Trust & Bank of New York v. Rabinowitz | 281 | 13 | 1976–2026 | 92 |
| 74 | late claim | Qing Liu v. City University | 279 | 5 | 1901–2026 | 45 |
| 75 | parole revocation hearing | Morrissey v. Brewer | 278 | 10 | 1968–2024 | 6 |
| 76 | continuous representation doctrine | Shumsky v. Eisenstein | 276 | 7 | 1975–2026 | 39 |
| 77 | harmless error | People v. Crimmins | 274 | 10 | 1889–2026 | 23 |
| 78 | third-party claim | Schauer v. Joyce | 269 | 8 | 1900–2026 | 35 |
| 79 | record establishes defense | People v. Lopez | 266 | 3 | 1924–2026 | 19 |
| 80 | Alford plea | North Carolina v. Alford | 265 | 8 | 1977–2025 | 24 |
| 81 | unjust enrichment claim | Mandarin Trading Ltd. v. Wildenstein | 265 | 14 | 1942–2026 | 131 |
| 82 | rare exception | People v. Lopez | 260 | 6 | 1914–2026 | 44 |
| 83 | ad damnum clause | Loomis v. Civetta Corinno Construction Corp. | 259 | 10 | 1887–2026 | 6 |
| 84 | Town motion | Alvarez v. Prospect Hospital | 259 | 6 | 1946–2026 | 34 |
| 85 | hearing challenge | Chittick v. Farver | 254 | 16 | 1890–2026 | 23 |
| 86 | automobile exception | People v. Blasich | 250 | 12 | 1920–2026 | 40 |
| 87 | legal malpractice claim | McCoy v. Feinman | 248 | 9 | 1990–2026 | 59 |
| 88 | Dunaway hearing | People v. Mendoza | 236 | 24 | 1979–2025 | 61 |
| 89 | knowing and intelligent waiver | People v. McIntyre | 234 | 14 | 1972–2026 | 32 |
| 90 | limitations defense | In re the Estate of Barabash | 233 | 13 | 1885–2026 | 8 |
| 91 | accrual claim | Parochial Bus Systems, Inc. v. Board of Education | 231 | 9 | 1878–2026 | 17 |
| 92 | evidence at the suppression hearing | People v. De Bour | 227 | 4 | 1968–2025 | 30 |
| 93 | estoppel doctrine | Ettore I. v. Angela D. | 226 | 18 | 1828–2025 | 11 |
| 94 | excited utterance exception | People v. Edwards | 226 | 9 | 1982–2026 | 31 |
| 95 | Committee motion | In re Johnson | 223 | 4 | 1936–2024 | 16 |
| 96 | outcome hearing | Nieves v. Coughlin | 223 | 7 | 1920–2025 | 8 |
| 97 | tier III hearing | Free v. Coombe | 223 | 6 | 1987–2026 | 13 |
| 98 | Fourth Amendment violation | Graham v. Connor | 222 | 17 | 1962–2026 | 26 |
| 99 | pleading requirement | Buran v. Coupal | 219 | 16 | 1927–2026 | 95 |
| 100 | determination was made violation | Halperin v. City of New Rochelle | 218 | 9 | 1965–2026 | 62 |
| 101 | witness hearing | People v. Rosario | 215 | 13 | 1866–2024 | 11 |
| 102 | circumstances bar | People v. Crimmins | 214 | 12 | 1885–2025 | 12 |
| 103 | corroboration requirement | People v. Daniels | 213 | 8 | 1967–2025 | 10 |
| 104 | Hinton hearing | People v. Hinton | 213 | 4 | 1991–2025 | 6 |
| 105 | detailed written waiver | PEOPLE EX REL. ACKRIDGE v. Barkley | 211 | 3 | 2006–2026 | 72 |
| 106 | common-law right inquiry | People v. De Bour | 208 | 11 | 1959–2026 | 35 |
| 107 | Darden hearing | People v. Darden | 208 | 9 | 1977–2026 | 36 |
| 108 | plenary hearing | S.L. v. J.R. | 208 | 12 | 1958–2026 | 49 |
| 109 | record reveals defense | People v. Benevento | 207 | 3 | 1917–2026 | 9 |
| 110 | forum selection clause | Freeford Ltd. v. Pendleton | 205 | 11 | 1978–2026 | 72 |
| 111 | supplemental instruction | People v. Malloy | 198 | 5 | 1891–2026 | 13 |
| 112 | faith and credit clause | Haddock v. Haddock | 196 | 12 | 1905–2025 | 7 |
| 113 | consequences waiver | People v. Lopez | 193 | 10 | 1888–2026 | 10 |
| 114 | testimony adduced hearing | Foster v. Coughlin | 193 | 7 | 1930–2025 | 5 |
| 115 | probable cause hearing | Dunaway v. New York | 192 | 14 | 1959–2026 | 17 |
| 116 | situation bar | Olsen v. State | 192 | 18 | 1873–2024 | 3 |
| 117 | positive test | Fero v. Prack | 191 | 6 | 1857–2024 | 1 |
| 118 | Ventimiglia hearing | People v. Ventimiglia | 189 | 7 | 1988–2026 | 26 |
| 119 | reasonable cause requirement | People v. Dumay | 188 | 9 | 1973–2026 | 90 |
| 120 | attestation clause | In re the Estate of Collins | 186 | 7 | 1853–2026 | 15 |
| 121 | reasonable doubt standard | People v. Knight | 184 | 9 | 1956–2024 | 13 |
| 122 | derivative claim | Yudell v. Gilbert | 181 | 10 | 1913–2026 | 24 |
| 123 | ineffective assistance of counsel claim | People v. Benevento | 179 | 7 | 1987–2026 | 40 |
| 124 | III hearing | Free v. Coombe | 176 | 4 | 1990–2026 | 9 |
| 125 | AGC motion | In re Koziol | 175 | 1 | 2016–2026 | 87 |
| 126 | double jeopardy clause | United States v. Jenkins | 175 | 14 | 1960–2026 | 5 |
| 127 | record of the suppression hearing | Schompert v. New York | 175 | 2 | 1969–2026 | 10 |
| 128 | permanency hearing | Zimet v. Bufano | 174 | 6 | 1999–2026 | 40 |
| 129 | home rule | Kelley v. McGee | 173 | 11 | 1903–2026 | 11 |
| 130 | rational basis test | Affronti v. Crosson | 173 | 12 | 1973–2025 | 10 |
| 131 | Payton violation | Payton v. New York | 172 | 12 | 1980–2026 | 22 |
| 132 | searching inquiry | People v. Crampe | 172 | 7 | 1896–2026 | 37 |
| 133 | witnesses hearing | Northern Westchester Professional Park Associates v. Town of Bedford | 171 | 7 | 1959–2026 | 34 |
| 134 | separation of powers doctrine | Boreali v. Axelrod | 170 | 11 | 1959–2026 | 17 |
| 135 | flexible doctrine | Gilberg v. Barbieri | 169 | 16 | 1937–2026 | 48 |
| 136 | cognizable claim | Leon v. Martinez | 168 | 10 | 1973–2026 | 19 |
| 137 | excessive sentence claim | People v. Suitte | 168 | 3 | 1993–2026 | 60 |
| 138 | invocation privilege | Hearst Corp. v. Clyne | 168 | 10 | 1895–2025 | 14 |
| 139 | breach of fiduciary duty claim | IDT Corp. v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. | 167 | 8 | 1998–2026 | 70 |
| 140 | de novo hearing | People v. Favor | 165 | 7 | 1968–2026 | 8 |
| 141 | pretrial suppression hearing | Miranda v. Arizona | 164 | 9 | 1969–2025 | 6 |
| 142 | guiding principle | De Long v. County of Erie | 162 | 15 | 1887–2026 | 24 |
| 143 | assumption of the risk doctrine | Morgan v. State | 161 | 7 | 1953–2026 | 18 |
| 144 | source hearing | Costello v. . Costello | 161 | 9 | 1857–2025 | 10 |
| 145 | absence of any claim | Matter of Anumah | 158 | 16 | 1876–2025 | 9 |
| 146 | next permanency hearing | Matter of Grayson J. (Sharon H.) | 158 | 4 | 2005–2026 | 41 |
| 147 | Anders brief | Anders v. California | 157 | 3 | 1989–2026 | 52 |
| 148 | confrontation clause | Crawford v. Washington | 157 | 14 | 1968–2026 | 19 |
| 149 | personal privilege | Scism v. Fiala | 157 | 12 | 1807–2025 | 6 |
| 150 | grand jury inquiry | People v. Valles | 156 | 9 | 1916–2026 | 6 |
Top 150 by distinct citing opinions.