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Right to present a defense

Robert Alvin Justus, Jr. v. United States

Updated Nov 12, 2026

In brief

Where it stands
Dismissed

Petition denied.

What it’s about
Justus asked the Court to review Ninth Circuit rulings allowing social-media posts and “likes” he said prejudiced the jury by highlighting his politics, and an instruction to ignore his state-of-mind defense because his words could also describe duress unavailable at trial.
Who it affects
The Ninth Circuit’s rulings remain in effect in Justus’s case, but the Supreme Court did not approve them or decide the legal questions.

Summary: written with AI from the case record.

Illustration for Robert Alvin Justus, Jr., Petitioner v. United States
Conceptual illustration · AI-generated

What it's about

The Court refused to hear the case (denied review) and did not decide either issue.

Justus framed the evidence issue as jury prejudice and the instruction issue as a limit on his Sixth Amendment right to present a defense.

Question presented

1. In a first-degree murder case, was the Ninth Circuit’s approval of the admission of social media posts and “likes” of posts, specifically intended to prejudice the jury by highlighting petitioner’s political beliefs, the kind of egregious error that brings the judicial system into disrepute and results in a miscarriage of justice, warranting this Court’s exercise of its institutional interest in ensuring that the legal proceeding was fair to all who observed it? 2. Given a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to present testimony in his own words in his defense at trial, should the court be permitted to instruct the jury to ignore his state-of-mind defense if the words he chose could also describe an unavailable duress defense?

Documents

1

Docket activity

6
  • New analysis added

    Nov 12, 2026 · Court records

  • AI analysis generated: Case Briefing

    Nov 12, 2026 · Generated

  • AI analysis generated: Decision Record

    Nov 12, 2026 · Generated

  • Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata

    Nov 12, 2026 · Court records

  • Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata

    Nov 12, 2026 · Court records

Show 1 more
  • Brief added: Petition

    Jul 17, 2026 · Court records

Sources

Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.

Checked Nov 12, 2026Methodology

Court records and filings

Reporting and analysis