NCJ Number
139476
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 61 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1992) Pages: 25-31
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes nine U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the 1991-92 term that are pertinent to law enforcement.
Abstract
The Court decided cases on the law of entrapment in a Federal child pornography sting operation, the admissibility of statements made by a child sexual assault victim to police officers and others, and the admissibility at a murder trial of the "battered child syndrome." The Court ruled in cases concerning the Federal Government's obligation under the sixth amendment's Speedy Trial Clause to bring to trial a charged defendant, the effect of the double jeopardy clause of the fifth amendment on complex drug prosecutions, and the jurisdiction of U.S. courts to try a Mexican citizen abducted to the United States. It also decided a case that interprets the scope of a law enforcement officer's qualified immunity from a civil suit that alleged a constitutional violation. With regard to first amendment issues, the Court considered two cases. One case struck down an ordinance designed to prevent the bias- motivated display of symbols, such as burning crosses; the other invalidated a parade permit scheme designed to recoup expenses incurred for police protection and administrative costs.