No. 20-6725

Larry Durant v. South Carolina

Lower Court: South Carolina
Docketed: 2020-12-29
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: brady-violation cell-phone-data criminal-sexual-conduct digital-privacy fourth-amendment fourth-amendment-jurisprudence judicial-instruction jury-coercion privacy search-and-seizure sixth-amendment trial-procedure
Key Terms:
DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2021-02-19
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the government's warrantless seizure and search of a person's cell phone data violates the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1 The jurors deliberating about Larry Durant’s guilt or innocence informed the trial judge they were splint eight to convict, three to acquit, with one juror not deliberating. Addressing the jurors, the trial judge branded the non-deliberating juror “not helpful to the situation at all” because the juror might “ensure that we have a mistrial if you continue to refuse to even vote even if the 11 other folks do reach a unanimous decision.” The trial judge also instructed, “So in light of that, let me send you back. However long it is you want to take this evening, we'll be here as long as you want to be here. You know, I’ll leave it at that.” Less than 34 minutes after receiving these instructions, the jurors convicted Larry Durant of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Was this instruction unconstitutionally coercive under the Sixth Amendment, Allen v. United States, 164 U.S. 492 (1896), and its progeny? I. Ulanda McRae testified for the prosecution at Larry Durant’s jury trial. Based on a mistake in spelling McRae’s last name, the prosecutor informed defense counsel that McRae did not have a criminal history. After trial, defense counsel learned McRae had a criminal history and moved for a new trial, alleging a violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). After holding the prosecution violated Brady, the Supreme Court of South Carolina held McRae’s criminal history was not material under Brady and United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985), based on the other evidence presented by the prosecution and without considering the evidence presented by the defense. Did the Supreme Court of South Carolina apply the correct standard of review for materiality of McRae’s criminal history when it failed to consider the evidence presented by Larry Durant? i

Docket Entries

2021-02-22
Petition DENIED.
2021-01-28
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/19/2021.
2021-01-21
Waiver of right of respondent South Carolina to respond filed.
2020-10-06
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due January 28, 2021)

Attorneys

Larry Durant
E. Charles Grose Jr.Grose Law Firm, Petitioner
South Carolina
Mark Reynolds FarthingSouth Carolina Office of the Attorney General, Respondent