Spies v. Illinois
Supreme Court of the United States
This was a petition for a writ of error, addressed in the first instance to Mr. Justice IIaelan. The petitioners had been indicted, arraigned and tried in a state court of Illinois for an offence punishable with death under the laws of that State, and had been found guilty; and the proceedings in the trial court had been sustained by the Supreme Court of Illinois on appeal; and the petitioners had been sentenced to death, and the 11th day of November, 1887, had been named as…
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This was a petition for a writ of error, addressed in the first instance to Mr. Justice IIaelan. The petitioners had been indicted, arraigned and tried in a state court of Illinois for an offence punishable with death under the laws of that State, and had been found guilty; and the proceedings in the trial court had been sustained by the Supreme Court of Illinois on appeal; and the petitioners had been sentenced to death, and the 11th day of November, 1887, had been named as the day for their execution. Their petition, which was voluminous, set forth that the Supreme Court of Illinois had…
1Opinion of the Court
Mr. Chief Justice. Waite
delivered the opinion of the court.
When, as in this case, application is made to us on the suggestion of one of our number, to whom a similar application had been previously addressed, for the allowance of a writ of error to the highest court of a State under § 709 of the Revised Statutes, it is our duty to ascertain not only whether any question reviewable here was made and decided in the proper court below, but whether it is of a character to justify us in bringing the judgment here for reëxamination. In our opinion the writ ought not to be allowed by the court, if…
2Cases cited26 opinions
- Reynolds v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1879
- United States v. CruikshankSupreme Court of the United States · 1876
- Davidson v. New OrleansSupreme Court of the United States · 1878
- Barron Ex Rel. Tiernan v. Mayor of BaltimoreSupreme Court of the United States · 1833
- Hayes v. MissouriSupreme Court of the United States · 1887
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3Cited by356 opinions
- Irvin v. DowdSupreme Court of the United States · 1961
- Malloy v. HoganSupreme Court of the United States · 1964
- Ross v. OklahomaSupreme Court of the United States · 1988
- Betts v. BradySupreme Court of the United States · 1942
- Holt v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1910
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