Wright v. New Jersey

Justice Brennan, with whom Justice Marshall joins,

dissenting.

The appellant Charles Wright was convicted of possessing an “exacto” knife. Under New Jersey law, possession of this sort of object is entirely legal in most circumstances; possession becomes unlawful only “under circumstances not manifestly appropriate for such lawful uses as it may have.” N. J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:39-5d (West 1982) (emphasis added).1 As construed by the state courts, although this statute requires proof that the defendant “knowingly” possessed the object in question, there is no requirement that he have done so with…