The doctrines Wisconsin 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 | due process clause | State v. Gary Lee Wayerski | 661 | 3 | 1924–2026 | 137 |
| 2 | ineffective assistance of counsel claim | Strickland v. Washington | 442 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 207 |
| 3 | erroneous exercise of discretion standard | Martindale v. Ripp | 395 | 2 | 1993–2026 | 162 |
| 4 | harmless error | State v. Harvey | 393 | 2 | 1964–2026 | 107 |
| 5 | Machner hearing | State v. MacHner | 303 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 165 |
| 6 | warrant requirement | State v. Artic | 295 | 3 | 1973–2026 | 91 |
| 7 | Miranda warning | Miranda v. Arizona | 293 | 3 | 1966–2026 | 62 |
| 8 | equal protection clause | Treiber v. Knoll | 265 | 3 | 1929–2026 | 23 |
| 9 | exclusionary rule | United States v. Leon | 250 | 2 | 1966–2026 | 46 |
| 10 | fundamental principle | State v. Huebner | 248 | 3 | 1849–2026 | 43 |
| 11 | ineffective assistance claim | Strickland v. Washington | 237 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 119 |
| 12 | affirmative defense | Maple Grove Country Club Inc. v. Maple Grove Estates Sanitary District | 230 | 3 | 1875–2026 | 45 |
| 13 | Strickland test | Strickland v. Washington | 227 | 2 | 1972–2026 | 91 |
| 14 | de novo standard | Jicha v. State Department of Industry, Labor & Human Rights Division | 209 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 32 |
| 15 | Fourth Amendment violation | Whren v. United States | 185 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 34 |
| 16 | hearsay rule | Chambers v. Mississippi | 181 | 2 | 1939–2025 | 29 |
| 17 | forfeiture rule | State v. Ndina | 179 | 3 | 1925–2026 | 105 |
| 18 | Wisconsin rule | In Matter of Bar Admission of Rippl | 179 | 3 | 1909–2026 | 14 |
| 19 | reasonable doubt error | Chapman v. California | 151 | 2 | 1977–2026 | 49 |
| 20 | reasonable possibility error | State v. Dyess | 151 | 2 | 1985–2026 | 50 |
| 21 | per se rule | Missouri v. McNeely | 143 | 3 | 1974–2025 | 10 |
| 22 | Fifth Amendment privilege | Miranda v. Arizona | 142 | 3 | 1972–2026 | 22 |
| 23 | probable cause hearing | Dodge County v. Ryan E. M. | 141 | 3 | 1970–2026 | 32 |
| 24 | double jeopardy clause | North Carolina v. Pearce | 139 | 2 | 1949–2026 | 17 |
| 25 | confrontation clause | Ohio v. Roberts | 137 | 2 | 1972–2026 | 25 |
| 26 | defendant guilty absent error | State v. Harvey | 129 | 2 | 2002–2026 | 49 |
| 27 | plain error | State v. Jorgensen | 121 | 2 | 1872–2026 | 59 |
| 28 | good faith exception | State v. Eason | 115 | 2 | 1927–2026 | 20 |
| 29 | Terry stop | Terry v. Ohio | 115 | 2 | 1983–2026 | 30 |
| 30 | prima facie presumption | State v. Bangert | 101 | 2 | 1908–2025 | 13 |
| 31 | deficiency prejudiced defense | Strickland v. Washington | 99 | 2 | 1990–2026 | 47 |
| 32 | rational basis test | Aicher Ex Rel. LaBarge v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund | 97 | 3 | 1979–2025 | 8 |
| 33 | Bangert violation | State v. Bangert | 95 | 2 | 1986–2026 | 29 |
| 34 | economic loss doctrine | Daanen & Janssen, Inc. v. Cedarapids, Inc. | 95 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 17 |
| 35 | public policy exception | Brockmeyer v. Dun & Bradstreet | 92 | 2 | 1922–2026 | 11 |
| 36 | totality of the circumstances test | Illinois v. Gates | 88 | 2 | 1973–2026 | 25 |
| 37 | Sullivan analysis | State v. Sullivan | 87 | 2 | 1998–2026 | 41 |
| 38 | emergency doctrine | Geis v. Hirth | 85 | 2 | 1928–2025 | 2 |
| 39 | plain meaning analysis | State Ex Rel. Kalal v. Circuit Court for Dane County | 81 | 2 | 1968–2025 | 27 |
| 40 | reducing clause | Badger Mutual Insurance v. Schmitz | 81 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 7 |
| 41 | sovereign immunity | Lister v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | 81 | 3 | 1962–2026 | 10 |
| 42 | Brady violation | Brady v. Maryland | 79 | 3 | 1971–2026 | 45 |
| 43 | separation of powers doctrine | State v. Holmes | 78 | 3 | 1941–2025 | 8 |
| 44 | Alford plea | North Carolina v. Alford | 75 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 18 |
| 45 | test for harmless error | State v. Dyess | 75 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 6 |
| 46 | vagueness challenge | State v. Pittman | 67 | 2 | 1979–2026 | 6 |
| 47 | motion without hearing | State v. Bentley | 65 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 23 |
| 48 | postconviction evidentiary hearing | State v. MacHner | 64 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 29 |
| 49 | sufficiency of the evidence standard | State v. Poellinger | 64 | 2 | 1986–2026 | 27 |
| 50 | elementary principle | Johnston v. Industrial Commission | 63 | 3 | 1875–2022 | 2 |
| 51 | blanket rule | Richards v. Wisconsin | 60 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 6 |
| 52 | circumstances claim | State v. Jimothy A. Jenkins | 60 | 2 | 1915–2026 | 12 |
| 53 | lesser included offense instruction | State v. Sarabia | 60 | 2 | 1984–2025 | 13 |
| 54 | estoppel doctrine | Department of Revenue v. Moebius Printing Co. | 58 | 2 | 1869–2023 | 3 |
| 55 | guilty plea waiver | State v. Riekkoff | 58 | 2 | 1980–2026 | 21 |
| 56 | latitude rule | State v. Davidson | 58 | 2 | 1902–2026 | 32 |
| 57 | process analysis | State Ex Rel. Kalal v. Circuit Court for Dane County | 57 | 2 | 1981–2025 | 17 |
| 58 | claim preclusion doctrine | Northern States Power Co. v. Bugher | 55 | 2 | 1996–2026 | 15 |
| 59 | Daubert standard | Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55 | 2 | 2013–2026 | 32 |
| 60 | procedural due process claim | State v. Ehlenfeldt | 55 | 2 | 1972–2025 | 8 |
| 61 | subrogation waiver | Employers Health Insurance v. General Casualty Co. of Wisconsin | 55 | 2 | 1913–2019 | 0 |
| 62 | exigent circumstances exception | Missouri v. McNeely | 54 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 13 |
| 63 | judicially created doctrine | Daanen & Janssen, Inc. v. Cedarapids, Inc. | 54 | 2 | 1997–2025 | 9 |
| 64 | manifest injustice test | State v. Thomas | 54 | 2 | 1969–2025 | 16 |
| 65 | uniformity clause | Gottlieb v. City of Milwaukee | 54 | 3 | 1906–2026 | 4 |
| 66 | sense test | State v. Young | 53 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 22 |
| 67 | extension hearing | Winnebago County v. S.H. | 52 | 2 | 1951–2026 | 22 |
| 68 | law of the case doctrine | State v. Stuart | 52 | 2 | 1986–2026 | 22 |
| 69 | refusal hearing | State v. Nordness | 52 | 3 | 1932–2025 | 16 |
| 70 | frequency error | State v. Jorgensen | 51 | 2 | 1981–2026 | 19 |
| 71 | Sixth Amendment violation | Strickland v. Washington | 51 | 2 | 1980–2025 | 10 |
| 72 | discretionary standard | Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch | 50 | 3 | 1970–2026 | 13 |
| 73 | factor analysis | Rosado v. State | 50 | 2 | 1979–2026 | 13 |
| 74 | public trust doctrine | Muench v. Public Service Commission | 50 | 3 | 1972–2026 | 4 |
| 75 | reasonable suspicion standard | State v. Post | 50 | 2 | 1987–2026 | 26 |
| 76 | bad faith claim | Anderson v. Continental Insurance | 49 | 2 | 1984–2025 | 9 |
| 77 | substantive due process challenge | State v. Smet | 49 | 2 | 1989–2024 | 3 |
| 78 | mootness doctrine | Marathon County v. D. K. | 48 | 2 | 1986–2026 | 34 |
| 79 | newly discovered evidence test | State v. Avery | 48 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 27 |
| 80 | self-defense instruction | State v. Robert Joseph Stietz | 48 | 2 | 1973–2026 | 16 |
| 81 | community caretaker exception | State v. Pinkard | 47 | 2 | 1989–2026 | 18 |
| 82 | concluded defense | State v. Hatem M. Shata | 47 | 2 | 1962–2025 | 3 |
| 83 | overbreadth doctrine | State v. Stevenson | 47 | 3 | 1978–2021 | 1 |
| 84 | right to present defense | State v. Pulizzano | 47 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 8 |
| 85 | stare decisis doctrine | Payne v. Tennessee | 47 | 2 | 1929–2024 | 9 |
| 86 | collateral source rule | Koffman v. Leichtfuss | 46 | 2 | 1972–2026 | 2 |
| 87 | first step analysis | State v. Sullivan | 46 | 2 | 1981–2025 | 21 |
| 88 | great weight standard | UFE Inc. v. Labor & Industry Review Commission | 46 | 2 | 1994–2014 | 0 |
| 89 | recommitment hearing | Langlade County v. D. J. W. | 46 | 2 | 1991–2026 | 33 |
| 90 | three primary factors | State v. Harris | 46 | 3 | 1981–2023 | 5 |
| 91 | exclusion clause | Frye v. Theige | 45 | 3 | 1937–2026 | 5 |
| 92 | First Amendment challenge | State v. Baron | 45 | 2 | 1982–2026 | 5 |
| 93 | meaningful defense | State v. Klessig | 45 | 3 | 1978–2026 | 13 |
| 94 | statute of limitations defense | State Ex Rel. Susedik v. Knutson | 45 | 2 | 1884–2025 | 7 |
| 95 | available claim | State v. Andres Romero-Georgana | 44 | 2 | 1959–2026 | 28 |
| 96 | exhaustion doctrine | Nodell Investment Corp. v. City of Glendale | 44 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 5 |
| 97 | multiplicity test | State v. Anderson | 44 | 2 | 1985–2026 | 10 |
| 98 | pattern jury instruction | State v. Ellington | 44 | 2 | 1982–2025 | 6 |
| 99 | unjust enrichment claim | Watts v. Watts | 44 | 2 | 1975–2026 | 10 |
| 100 | consent exception | State v. Artic | 43 | 2 | 1882–2026 | 14 |
| 101 | factual basis requirement | State v. Smith | 43 | 2 | 1968–2025 | 9 |
| 102 | policy factors | Hixon v. Public Service Commission | 43 | 3 | 1953–2026 | 3 |
| 103 | standing challenge | Fox v. Wisconsin Department of Health & Social Services | 43 | 2 | 1974–2026 | 10 |
| 104 | Tbe rule | Pumorlo v. City of Merrill | 43 | 1 | 1866–1918 | 0 |
| 105 | postconviction motion without hearing | State v. Allen | 42 | 2 | 1997–2026 | 29 |
| 106 | respondeat superior doctrine | Arsand v. City of Franklin | 42 | 3 | 1922–2026 | 4 |
| 107 | equitable estoppel doctrine | City of Milwaukee v. Milwaukee County | 41 | 2 | 1882–2024 | 6 |
| 108 | home rule | New York v. Harris | 41 | 3 | 1912–2024 | 6 |
| 109 | immunity defense | Lodl v. Progressive Northern Insurance | 41 | 2 | 1923–2022 | 1 |
| 110 | plain view doctrine | State v. Guy | 41 | 2 | 1973–2025 | 6 |
| 111 | recreational immunity | Hall v. Turtle Lake Lions Club | 41 | 2 | 1990–2022 | 3 |
| 112 | adverse effect defense | Strickland v. Washington | 40 | 2 | 1990–2026 | 15 |
| 113 | alibi defense | State v. Allen | 40 | 2 | 1967–2026 | 13 |
| 114 | American rule | Watkins v. Labor & Industry Review Commission | 40 | 2 | 1871–2016 | 0 |
| 115 | issue preclusion doctrine | Aldrich v. Labor & Industry Review Commission | 40 | 2 | 1990–2026 | 16 |
| 116 | prerequisite claim | State v. MacHner | 40 | 2 | 1969–2026 | 11 |
| 117 | second part test | State v. Tappa | 39 | 2 | 1984–2026 | 11 |
| 118 | bench bar | State v. Henley | 38 | 2 | 1881–2026 | 7 |
| 119 | commitment hearing | State Ex Rel. Lockman v. Gerhardstein | 38 | 2 | 1980–2025 | 14 |
| 120 | controversy claim | Loy v. Bunderson | 38 | 2 | 1953–2026 | 3 |
| 121 | laches doctrine | State Ex Rel. Coleman v. McCaughtry | 38 | 2 | 1927–2024 | 6 |
| 122 | res ipsa loquitur instruction | Fehrman v. Smirl | 38 | 2 | 1923–2025 | 4 |
| 123 | Blockburger test | Blockburger v. United States | 37 | 2 | 1979–2023 | 5 |
| 124 | direct claim | Rose v. Schantz | 37 | 2 | 1876–2025 | 8 |
| 125 | low bar | State v. Avan Rondell Nimmer | 37 | 2 | 2012–2026 | 32 |
| 126 | manifest error | Koepsell's Olde Popcorn Wagons, Inc. v. Koepsell's Festival Popcorn Wagons, Ltd. | 37 | 2 | 1955–2026 | 24 |
| 127 | particularity requirement | State v. Sveum | 37 | 2 | 1975–2025 | 13 |
| 128 | personal waiver | State v. Livingston | 36 | 2 | 1879–2021 | 1 |
| 129 | Powers rule | Powers v. Allstate Insurance | 36 | 2 | 1960–2020 | 0 |
| 130 | qualified immunity | Harlow v. Fitzgerald | 36 | 2 | 1975–2026 | 3 |
| 131 | structural error | Neder v. United States | 36 | 2 | 2003–2025 | 14 |
| 132 | Bentley test | State v. Bentley | 35 | 2 | 1995–2025 | 11 |
| 133 | commerce clause | Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady | 35 | 3 | 1929–2011 | 0 |
| 134 | conditional privilege | Zinda v. Louisiana Pacific Corp. | 35 | 2 | 1914–2025 | 2 |
| 135 | firmly rooted hearsay exception | Ohio v. Roberts | 35 | 2 | 1981–2021 | 1 |
| 136 | interpretation clause | In RE MARRIAGE OF HARRIS v. Harris | 35 | 2 | 1923–2024 | 7 |
| 137 | res judicata doctrine | Lawlor v. National Screen Service Corp. | 35 | 2 | 1929–2005 | 0 |
| 138 | contested case hearing | Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District v. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 34 | 2 | 1983–2025 | 7 |
| 139 | deficient performance analysis | State v. Johnson | 34 | 2 | 1993–2025 | 11 |
| 140 | known right privilege | Johnson v. Zerbst | 34 | 2 | 1971–2026 | 1 |
| 141 | second step analysis | State v. Plymesser | 34 | 2 | 1988–2026 | 9 |
| 142 | attorney-client privilege | State v. Meeks | 33 | 3 | 1974–2025 | 2 |
| 143 | automobile exception | State v. Marquardt | 33 | 2 | 1925–2025 | 9 |
| 144 | due weight standard | UFE Inc. v. Labor & Industry Review Commission | 33 | 2 | 1995–2017 | 0 |
| 145 | Goodchild hearing | State Ex Rel. Goodchild v. Burke | 33 | 2 | 1968–2025 | 5 |
| 146 | hearing inquiry | Matter of Mental Condition of Shirley JC | 33 | 2 | 1890–2025 | 8 |
| 147 | postconviction motion hearing | State v. Allen | 33 | 2 | 1984–2023 | 9 |
| 148 | categorical rule | Missouri v. McNeely | 32 | 2 | 1999–2026 | 7 |
| 149 | corollary principle | State v. Johnson | 32 | 3 | 1965–2024 | 2 |
| 150 | coverage clause | Cieslewicz Ex Rel. Finerty v. Mutual Service Casualty Insurance | 32 | 2 | 1932–2022 | 1 |
Top 150 by distinct citing opinions.