Fisher v. United States

1945

Court: US Supreme Court

Facts: Fisher was custodian at the cathedral, but the librarian complained about his work. He flipped out and killed her.

Posture: Convicted, appeal upheld.

Issue: Should there have been an instruction on the defendant's mental state?

Holding: No. Affirmed.

Rule: We defer to the states on matters of state law.

Reasoning: This would be a matter for the legislature.

Dicta: Dissent: we recognize differences in culpability, so why not here?