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
| Davis v. United States | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Submitted October 30, 1895 Decided December 16, 1895 | |
| Full case name | Davis v. United States |
| Citations | 160 U.S. 469 (more) 16 S. Ct. 353; 40 L. Ed. 499; 1895 U.S. LEXIS 2370 |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Harlan, joined by unanimous |
References
edit- ^ 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]
External links
edit- Text of Davis v. United States, 160 U.S. 469 (1895) is available from: Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress