Kotteakos v. United States
| Kotteakos v. United States | |
|---|---|
| Decided June 10, 1946 | |
| Full case name | Kotteakos v. United States |
| Citations | 328 U.S. 750 (more) |
| Holding | |
| For a non-constitutional error that affected a defendant's substantial rights, a reviewing court must reverse the judgment unless there is a "fair assurance" that the error did not affect the outcome. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Rutledge |
| Concurrence | Black |
| Jackson took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
Kotteakos v. United States, 328 U.S. 750 (1946), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that for a non-constitutional error that affected a defendant's substantial rights, a reviewing court must reverse the judgment unless there is a "fair assurance" that the error did not affect the outcome. This case articulated the Kotteakos standard: an error is harmless unless it "had a substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict."