Find Court Cases > Smith v. Cain

Smith v. Cain

Case Date: 11/08/2011
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

Juan Smith was convicted on five counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Louisiana state trial court, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal and state Supreme Court denied Smith's petition for review. Smith contends that the Louisiana state courts reached this result only by disregarding established precedents regarding the suppression of material evidence favorable to a defendant and presentation of false or misleading evidence to a prosecutor in past Supreme Court cases, Brady v. Maryland, Giglio v. United States and Napue v. Illinois.

Question 

Is there a reasonable probability that the outcome of Smith's trial would have been different but for Brady and Giglio/Napue errors?

Did the state courts violated the Due Process Clause by rejecting Smith's Brady and Giglio/Napue claims?

Argument Smith v. Cain - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3