United States v. Johnson

As I view the record in this case, the government’s cross-examination of the defendant so far exceeded the bounds of proper interrogation as, veritably, to work a denial of the fair trial to which the accused was entitled. If such is the case, then nothing less than a new trial can suffice to eradicate the harm of the error for it goes to a matter of substantial rights.

The indictment upon which the defendant was tried specifically charged him with willful and fraudulent evasion of taxes on his income for the years 1935, 1936 and 1937, and for no other year. Despite the permissible limits to…