Supreme Court to Consider Constitutional Limits on Testimony in Criminal Cases

The Supreme Court is hearing oral argument on Jan. 10 over how the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution limits testimony in criminal cases.

Smith v. Arizona focuses on the amendment’s Confrontation Clause, which states that criminal defendants have the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”

The petitioner, Jason Smith, was charged with drug-related offenses in 2019, later convicted by an Arizona jury, and sentenced to four years in prison. His trial included testimony from a forensic scientist named Greggory Longoni, who spoke about drug testing Elizabeth Rast, a scientist at the same lab, conducted on items from Mr. Smith’s shed.

Because Ms. Rast didn’t testify, but Mr. Longoni spoke about her reports, Mr. Smith contended that the trial sidestepped his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses. The trial court rejected his request for an acquittal, and the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed that rejection.

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