Legal Opinion
Thomas H. Washington, Jr. v. United States
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Decided December 13, 1967No. 20232_1PublishedCited by 126 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
BAZELON, Chief Judge:
Appellant was convicted by a jury of rape, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. His major defense was insanity. On appeal, he contends that the trial judge should have entered a judgment of acquittal by reason of insanity.
I
This court has always been reluctant to order such judgments of acquittal.1 Our reluctance is rooted in the nature of the jury’s role in insanity cases. In the early eighteenth century, the test for criminal responsibility was whether the accused “does not know what he is doing, no more than * * * a wild beast.”2 Under this test, the jury did not…
2Cases cited33 opinions
- Durham v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1954
- Ernest McDonald v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1962
- United States v. SpauldingSupreme Court of the United States · 1935
- Vincent E. Jenkins v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1962
- Russell E. Carter v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1957
28 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by126 opinions
- Powell v. TexasSupreme Court of the United States · 1968
- United States v. Archie W. BrawnerCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1972
- In Re John Ballay, A/K/A Figeret Hoxha, PatientCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1973
- Ibn-Tamas v. United StatesDistrict of Columbia Court of Appeals · 1979
- Jane Doe v. Robert E. Hampton, Individually and as Chairman, U. S. Civil Service CommissionCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1977
121 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.