Legal Opinion
State v. Felix R.
Connecticut Appellate Court
Decided December 24, 2013No. AC 33681PublishedCited by 5 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion
LAVINE, J.
Our federal and state constitutions guarantee a criminal defendant the rights to compel the state to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt at a public trial, to confront the witnesses against him, and to assert a vigorous defense. See U.S. Const., amend. VI; Conn. Const., art. first, § 8. A prosecutor who argues to a jury that there is something inappropriate about a defendant’s assertion of these fundamental rights jeopardizes the integrity of the process. Unfortunately, this is a case in which such prosecutorial impropriety “so infected the trial with unfairness as to…
2Cases cited27 opinions
- Faretta v. CaliforniaSupreme Court of the United States · 1975
- Pointer v. TexasSupreme Court of the United States · 1965
- Darden v. WainwrightSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
- State v. GoldingSupreme Court of Connecticut · 1989
- Spevack v. KleinSupreme Court of the United States · 1967
22 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by5 opinions
- State v. SullivanSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2025
- State v. DevitoConnecticut Appellate Court · 2015
- State v. Felix R.Supreme Court of Connecticut · 2015
- State v. Felix R.Supreme Court of Connecticut · 2015
- State v. Sullivan (Dissent)Supreme Court of Connecticut · 2025