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Davis v. United States (1895)

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Davis v. United States
Submitted October 30, 1895
Decided December 16, 1895
Full case nameDavis v. United States
Citations160 U.S. 469 (more)
16 S. Ct. 353; 40 L. Ed. 499; 1895 U.S. LEXIS 2370
Court membership
Chief Justice
Melville Fuller
Associate Justices
Stephen J. Field · John M. Harlan
Horace Gray · David J. Brewer
Henry B. Brown · George Shiras Jr.
Edward D. White
Case opinion
MajorityHarlan, joined by unanimous

Davis v. United States, 160 U.S. 469 (1895), is a criminal case establishing that in a federal case, the prosecution bears the burden of proof of sanity if an insanity defense is raised.[1]: 17  It is a common law ruling that sets precedent in federal court, but is not a constitutional ruling interpreting the United States Constitution, so does not preclude states from requiring defendants to prove insanity, even to the point of requiring defendants to prove insanity beyond a reasonable doubt, as in Leland v. Oregon (1951).[1]: 17 

References

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  1. ^ a b Criminal Law - Cases and Materials, 7th ed. 2012, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business; John Kaplan, Robert Weisberg, Guyora Binder, ISBN 978-1-4548-0698-1, [1]
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