6 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 323 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 Faretta v. California.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faretta v. California Anchor | green | “he knows what he is doing and his choice is made with eyes open.” | 115 |
| 2 | Faretta v. California | green | “should be made aware of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation, so that the record will establish that 'he knows what he is doing and his choice is made with eyes open.” | 87 |
| 3 | Godinez v. Moran | green | “the competence that is required of a defendant seeking to waive his right to counsel is the competence to waive the right, not the competence to represent himself.” | 58 |
| 4 | Faretta v. California | green | “the sixth amendment does not provide merely that a defense shall be made for the accused; it grants to the accused personally the right to make his defense.” | 54 |
| 5 | Thornton v. State | green | “even when the de novo standard is applied to issues of constitutional dimension, we still accord a hearing justice's findings of historical fact, and inferences drawn from those facts, great deference in conducting our review.” | 5 |
| 6 | United States v. James Oreye | green | “if the judge exaggerates either the advantages of being represented or the disadvantages of self-representation, he will be accused of having put his thumb on the scale and prevented the defendant from making an informed choice.” | 4 |
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.