Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
About
This compendium includes significant criminal cases by the U.S. Supreme Court & N.C. appellate courts, Nov. 2008 – Present. Selected 4th Circuit cases also are included.
Jessica Smith prepared case summaries Nov. 2008-June 4, 2019; later summaries are prepared by other School staff.
Instructions
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Although the trial court erred by allowing the introduction of evidence regarding the defendant’s attempts to hire legal counsel prior to his arrest, the error did not rise to the level of plain error. On appeal, the defendant argued that admission of this testimony violated his Six Amendment rights. Although the court had “no difficulty” concluding that the evidence violated the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel and should not have been admitted, the error did not constitute plain error.