Willie L. Loveless v. United States

Appellant was tried for second degree murder and convicted of manslaughter. At the close of testimony, appellant requested a charge on manslaughter but the court ruled that he would not give such a charge but would charge on second degree murder, which he did. After the arguments had all been concluded, however, the court advised counsel he had changed his mind and considered the manslaughter charge essential. At that point 1 appellant’s counsel protested that “neither of us, in view of what your honor said, argued with respect to man slaughter at all.” The appellant was thus precluded from…