{"ID":55972,"name":"Nevada v. Jackson","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/cases\/2012\/12-694","view_count":0,"docket_number":"12-694","additional_docket_numbers":null,"manner_of_jurisdiction":"Writ of \u003Ci\u003Ecertiorari\u003C\/i\u003E","first_party":"Nevada, et al.","second_party":"Calvin O\u0027Neil Jackson","timeline":[{"event":"Granted","dates":[1370235600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/41273"},{"event":"Decided","dates":[1370235600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/41274"}],"lower_court":{"ID":5,"name":"United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/taxonomy\/term\/5"},"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003EOn October 22, 1998, Calvin O\u0027Neil Jackson was arrested outside of his girlfriend\u0027s apartment. His girlfriend, Annette Heathmon, told the police that Jackson forced his way into her apartment, assaulted her, threatened to kill her with a screwdriver, and raped her. At trial, Heathmon testified that Jackson had previously sexually and physically assaulted her but had never been convicted of a crime. The defense attempted to call police officers to testify that Jackson\u0027s girlfriend\u0027s previous accusations were unconvincing and unsubstantiated by the evidence. The court barred this testimony and also refused to allow the defense to cross-examine Heathmon regarding alleged prior acts of prostitution. The jury found Jackson guilty of burglary, battery with intent to commit a crime, first degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, and two counts of sexual assault with a deadly weapon.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJackson appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court of Nevada and argued that the trial court\u0027s decision to exclude the evidence of Heathmon\u0027s previous accusations violated his right to present a defense. That court affirmed his conviction and stated that the excluded evidence was neither relevant nor material to his defense. Jackson then filed a \u003Cem\u003Ehabeas corpus\u003C\/em\u003E claim based on the same argument. The district court denied his claim, holding that the state court\u0027s exclusion of police testimony did not violate Jackson\u0027s constitutional right to present a complete defense. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court\u0027s decision.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003EDid Nevada\u0027s state courts deny a defendant\u0027s constitutional right to present a defense when they prevented the defendant from entering evidence that a rape victim\u0027s previous sexual assault claims were unsubstantiated?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003ENo. In a \u003Cem\u003Eper curiam\u003C\/em\u003E decision, the Supreme Court held that Nevada\u0027s state courts did not violate Jackson\u0027s rights when they denied certain evidence from being admitted in his trial. Federal \u003Cem\u003Ehabeas corpus\u003C\/em\u003E courts may only overturn a state court\u0027s application of federal law only if no reasonable judge could find that it followed Supreme Court precedent. Nevada\u0027s rulings were based on the long-established rationale of limiting the admission of evidence concerning a witness\u0027 specific conduct to prove the witness\u0027 character or untruthfulness. Although the Constitution always allows criminal defendant to cross-examine witnesses, it does not entitle a criminal defendant to attack a witness\u0027 credibility by using extrinsic evidence. 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