Fahy v. Connecticut (1963)
- Docket
- 19
- Decided
- 1963-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Was the trial court's error in admitting evidence obtained during an unlawful search harmless? Conclusion: No. Chief Justice Earl Warren, writing for a 5-4 majority, reversed the convictions, holding that the error was prejudicial. The evidence itself was incriminating and the prosecution used it to corroborate opinion testimony that the brush matched the markings on the synagogue. Justice John M. Harlan dissented, expressing that the U.S. Supreme Court should not interfere with state court findings on harmless errors. Justice Tom C. Clark, Justice Potter Stewart, and Justice Byron R. White joined the dissent.