Harris v. New York

Harris's case tested whether statements made while in police custody--though considered legally inadmissible as a confession--could, however, be used to "impeach" (in this sense, to attack or discredit) a defendant's statements under oath. During that first trial, the judge instructed the jury that the statements Harris may or may not have made after his arrest should not be used to determine evidence of his guilt, but rather to judge his credibility. The jury found him guilty of the second sale. Harris appealed to New York's state appellate court, claiming that the use of his earlier statements violated several rights guaranteed him by the U.S. Constitution, most importantly the Fifth Amendment, which holds that a person shall not be compelled to be a witness against himself in a criminal trial. The appellate court rejected his argument as well, and it appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.