4 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 42 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. Ali.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commonwealth v. Ali Anchor | green | “(1) the 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 client's interests; and (3) but for counsel's ineffectiveness, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome …” | 16 |
| 2 | Commonwealth v. Scassera | green | “we must accord great deference to the findings of the pcra court, and such findings will not be disturbed unless they have no support in the record.” | 15 |
| 3 | Commonwealth, Aplt. v. Williams, C. | green | “whether counsel made an informed choice, which at the time the decision was made reasonably could have been considered to advance and protect the defendant's interests.” | 6 |
| 4 | Commonwealth v. Johnson, W., Aplt | green | “counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to raise a meritless claim.” | 5 |
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.