The high court’s June 25 decision has generated a lot of attention. Not everyone agrees on the influence Melendez-Diaz will have on court dockets, trial strategy and ever-tightening state budgets. However, no one doubts that the decision will have some degree of impact on the way nearly every state handles lab reports prepared for trial.
The Melendez-Diaz majority was born of a strange and unusual court alliance. The majority opinion was written by the conservative Scalia, who was joined by the more left-leaning Justices John Paul Stevens, retiring Justice David H. Souter, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and conservative Justice Clarence Thomas. Scalia, having a penchant for strong law enforcement, found himself facing the wrath of prosecutors and “law and order” legislators across the country. In fact, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing on behalf of the minority, intimated that the court’s decision gave the defense bar “formidable power.”
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
