No. 23-6479

Sterling H. Roberts v. United States

Lower Court: Sixth Circuit
Docketed: 2024-01-12
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP Experienced Counsel
Tags: confrontation-clause criminal-procedure declarant-unavailability forfeiture-by-wrongdoing mixed-motives primary-purpose sixth-amendment unavailability
Key Terms:
Privacy
Latest Conference: 2024-02-16
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the prosecution must prove the defendant's primary purpose for making the declarant unavailable was to prevent their testimony in the proceeding for which the statement is being offered to invoke the forfeiture-by-wrongdoing exception to the Confrontation Clause

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED In Giles v. California, 554 U.S. 353, 128 S. Ct. 2678, 171 L. Ed. 2d 488 (2008), this Court recognized the common law exception to the Confrontation Clause of “forfeiture by wrongdoing,” which allows prosecutors to introduce statements from an unavailable declarant when the defendant caused the unavailability “by design.” The Sixth Circuit determined this “by design” element may include evidence of “mixed motives” — i.e. that the defendant procured the unavailability of the declarant for reasons other than their testimony at the instant trial. When the prosecution seeks to invoke the exception and admit a statement without any protections afforded under the Confrontation Clause, must they prove that the defendant’s primary purpose for making the declarant unavailable was to prevent their testimony in the proceeding for which the statement is being offered? il RELATED CASES Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 14(1)(b) (ii), Petitioner submits the following cases which are directly related to this Petition: none ili

Docket Entries

2024-02-20
Petition DENIED.
2024-01-25
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/16/2024.
2024-01-19
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2024-01-10
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due February 12, 2024)

Attorneys

Sterling H. Roberts
Kevin Michael SchadOffice of the Federal Public Defender , Petitioner
Kevin Michael SchadOffice of the Federal Public Defender , Petitioner
United States
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent