Smith v. Arizona
Amicus Curiae Brief
A 鈥渇riend of the court鈥 or amicus, brief is filed by someone not a direct party to the case, but who has an interest in its outcome. These briefs seek to supplement the merits briefs by offering the Court additional arguments and information. Amicus briefs can be filed at the merits stage or at the certiorari stage.
What's at Stake
Whether the Sixth Amendment鈥檚 confrontation right permits the prosecution in a criminal trial to present testimonial statements of a non-testifying laboratory analyst through an expert who relies on the non-testifying expert鈥檚 statement to reach their conclusions.
Summary
In this case, the lower court allowed a government expert to provide evidence regarding a lab test to support the conviction of a defendant on drug charges. The 老澳门开奖结果 and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Arizona filed an amicus brief with the NACDL urging the Supreme Court to hold that such testimony violates the Confrontation Clause by depriving the defendant of an opportunity to cross-examine the person who conducted the lab test. Our brief argued that the criminal legal system will not face an undue burden if the Court ruled that the Confrontation Clause is triggered in such circumstances. First, Petitioner鈥檚 construction of the confrontation right is already successfully administered in a number of states and has not proved unmanageable. Second, criminal trials already constitute a very small fraction of criminal prosecutions, and this fraction is no different in those states that already require the authoring analyst to testify in these circumstances. Third, any burdens on the prosecution can often be minimized through stipulations.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on June 21, 2024 that when an expert conveys an absent lab analyst鈥檚 statements in support of the expert鈥檚 opinion, and the statements provide that support only if true, then the statements come into evidence for their truth, and implicate the Sixth Amendment鈥檚 confrontation clause.
Decision: Smith v. Arizona
Vacated and remanded, 9-0. (June 21, 2024)
Legal Documents
-
11/20/2023
Amicus Curiae Brief in Support of Petitioner
Date Filed: 11/20/2023
Court: Supreme Court