Court: |
US Supreme Court |
|
Facts: |
A cop got shot while serving someone. He fired into the crowd, and hit
Chambers. It was alleged that Chambers shot him, and Chambers was prohibited
from introducing a confession and other testimony to the contrary. |
|
Posture: |
Convicted, then affirmed by MI supremes. |
|
Issue: |
Was excluding the evidence about the other possible killer a violation
of due process, under the 14th amendment? |
|
Holding: |
Yes, for all love. Reversed and remanded for a new trial. |
|
Rule: |
You can't have a fair trial if you're not allowed to call and
cross-examine witnesses. |
|
Reasoning: |
The "voucher" rule, combined with the "hearsay" rule amounted to an
unfair combination. The "voucher" rule says if you call a witness, you
are vouching for his credibility, so he couldn't call the alternate
killer. The people who could testify about the alternate killer were
excluded as hearsay. |
|
Dicta: |
This isn't a new consitutional principle. |