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10 canonical passages across 8 cases, quoted by 310 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side: they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from Commonwealth v. Fulton.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commonwealth v. Fulton Anchor | green | “(1) his underlying claim is of arguable merit; (2) the particular course of conduct pursued by counsel did not have some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his interests; and, (3) but for counsel's ineffectiveness, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the c…” | 58 |
| 2 | Commonwealth v. Spotz | green | “(1) his underlying claim is of arguable merit; (2) counsel had no reasonable basis for his action or inaction; and (3) the petitioner suffered actual prejudice as a result.” | 57 |
| 3 | Commonwealth v. Spotz | green | “counsel will not be deemed ineffective for failing to raise a meritless claim.” | 49 |
| 4 | Commonwealth v. Rivera | green | “the burden of demonstrating ineffectiveness rests on appellant.” | 38 |
| 5 | Commonwealth v. Rivera | green | “the failure to prove any one of the three ineffectiveness prongs results in the failure of petitioner's claim.” | 37 |
| 6 | Commonwealth v. Spotz | green | “counsel will not be deemed ineffective for failing to raise a meritless claim” | 22 |
| 7 | Com. v. Velazquez, G. | green | “absent counsel's conduct, there is a reasonable probability the outcome of the proceedings would have been different.” | 22 |
| 8 | Commonwealth v. Ousley | green | “(1) that the underlying claim has merit; (2) counsel had no reasonable strategic basis for his or her action or inaction; and (3) but for the errors or omissions of counsel, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would have been different.” | 19 |
| 9 | Commonwealth v. Timchak | green | “the appellant must demonstrate 'it is reasonably probable that, but for counsel's errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have gone to trial.” | 6 |
| 10 | Commonwealth v. Hart | green | “is limited 'to whether the pcra court's determination is supported by evidence of record and whether it is free of legal error.” | 2 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment: for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.