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? |