No. 19-6429October Term 2019Decided May 4, 2020
Davis v. Ducart
The Supreme Court passed on the case, so it did not decide whether the claimed trial errors violated the Constitution.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released May 4, 2020
- What it's about
Davis v. Ducart is a case petitioned to the Supreme Court from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The specific facts and legal issues involved in the dispute are not detailed in the available records.
Question presented
1. Whether the state court's decision was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, when it held that the trial court's failure to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of involuntary manslaughter did not violate Petitioner's federal constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial? 2. Whether the state court's decision was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, when it held that the trial court's failure to instruct the jury on the defense of accident did not violate Petitioner's federal constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Decision released May 4, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Briefing
What it's about
On May 4, 2020, the Supreme Court declined to hear Davis v. Ducart, so the Ninth Circuit result stayed in place. Davis had asked the Court to review claimed trial errors tied to an accidental-shooting theory, including jury instructions on involuntary manslaughter and accident.
Impact
For Davis, it means his loss below stands. For other prisoners arguing jurors should have heard an accident or lesser-offense instruction, the Court's refusal to step in did not create any new nationwide rule.
What's next
This Supreme Court docket is over. The Ninth Circuit result stays in place unless Davis seeks some other remedy outside this case.
What did the Supreme Court do in Davis v. Ducart?
The Court declined to review the case. That left the Ninth Circuit result in place without deciding the merits.
Who is affected by Davis v. Ducart?
Davis is directly affected because his loss below remains in place. Other prisoners with similar jury-instruction claims got no new nationwide Supreme Court rule.
What happens next in Davis v. Ducart?
Nothing else is scheduled at the Supreme Court in this docket. The lower-court result remains in force unless Davis pursues another path elsewhere.
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court passed on the case, so it did not decide whether the claimed trial errors violated the Constitution.
Impact
For Davis, it means his loss below stands. For other prisoners arguing jurors should have heard an accident or lesser-offense instruction, the Court's refusal to step in did not create any new nationwide rule.
Not official Court text.
Timing
Decided May 4, 2020
The Court released its decision on May 4, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology