No. 20-637October Term 2020Decided Jan 20, 2022
Hemphill v. New York
The Supreme Court ruled that a criminal defendant does not forfeit their Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses simply by making arguments that 'open the door' to otherwise inadmissible evidence.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jan 20, 2022
- What it's about
The Supreme Court ruled that a criminal defendant does not forfeit their Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses simply by making arguments that 'open the door' to otherwise inadmissible evidence. The Court held that admitting an unavailable witness's plea transcript over the defendant's objection violated the Confrontation Clause.
Question presented
Whether the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause, which provides that “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to be confronted with the witnesses against him,” admits of a court-created “opening the door” exception?
- Case path
Court of Appeals of New York / Decision released Jan 20, 2022
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided January 20, 2022
The Court released its decision on January 20, 2022 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology