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Maryland v. Craig

Significance, Court Overrides Plain Language Of The Sixth Amendment, Further Readings



Petitioner

State of Maryland

Respondent

Sandra Ann Craig

Petitioner's Claim

That allowing an alleged victim of child abuse to testify by closed circuit television violates the Sixth Amendment right of criminal defendants to confront their accusers in court.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

J. Joseph Curran, Jr.

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

William H. Murphy, Jr.

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor (writing for the Court), William H. Rehnquist, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Antonin Scalia, John Paul Stevens

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

27 June 1990

Decision

The Supreme Court found that because the closed circuit procedure did not rule out cross-examination, it satisfied the essential purpose of the Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause.

Related Cases

  • Coy v. Iowa, 487 U.S. 1012 (1988).
  • Idaho v. Wright, 497 U.S. 805 (1990).

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1989 to 1994