Chambers v. Mississippi

1973

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.