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Reversible Error

By Baker Associates

Criminal trials are often long and complicated and present many confusing issues for defendant, lawyer, and judge alike. It is unavoidable, then, that mistakes will be made at some point along the way with regard to how the trial is conducted, which evidence is admitted and how it is used, or at various other stages of the trial. It is no surprise, then, that a defendant who is found guilty of a crime will often seek to be granted a new trial on the basis that such error prejudiced the defendant at trial and skewed the outcome of the case. Many states, Tennessee included, will only grant a new trial under these circumstances if the error was ?harmful? to the defendant. Harmless error, which is basically error that does not negatively impact the defendant in a substantial way, is not a sufficient basis for a new trial in Tennessee...continue to full post

Full post as published by Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog on June 24, 2010 (boomark / email).