Coughlin v. Stachulak

Decision Date01 March 1976
Docket NumberNo. 75-608,75-608
Citation47 L.Ed.2d 354,424 U.S. 947,96 S.Ct. 1419
PartiesJoseph COUGHLIN et al. v. Frank STACHULAK
CourtU.S. Supreme Court

On petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeal for the Seventh Circuit.

The motion of the respondent for leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted.

The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

Mr. Justice WHITE, with whom Mr. Justice POWELL joins, dissenting.

The question whether due process requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt in such proceedings has produced divergent conclusions in the Courts of Appeals. Compare Tippett v. Maryland, 436 F.2d 1153 (CA4 1971), cert. dismissed sub nom. Murel v. Baltimore City Criminal Court, 407 U.S. 355, 92 S.Ct. 2091, 32 L.Ed.2d 791 (1972) (proof by a preponderance of the evidence), with In re Ballay, 157 U.S.App.D.C. 59, 482 F.2d 648 (1973), and United States ex rel. Stachulak v. Coughlin, 520 F.2d 931 (CA7 1975) (proof beyond a reasonable doubt).* The question is important to the administration of justice in this country, and the Court should shoulder its responsibility to resolve the conflicting judgments.

I would grant the petition for a writ of certiorari and afford the case plenary consideration

Mr. Justice STEVENS took no part in the consideration or decision of this motion and petition.

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59 cases
  • State v. Stepney
    • United States
    • Connecticut Supreme Court
    • 12 Enero 1981
    ...is needed to return a true bill. General Statutes § 54-45; Cobbs v. Robinson, 528 F.2d 1331, 1338 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 947, 96 S.Ct. 1419, 47 L.Ed.2d 354; State v. Menillo, 159 Conn. 264, 275, 268 A.2d 667. Unlike a petit jury, a grand jury does not determine the truth of the c......
  • State v. Piskorski
    • United States
    • Connecticut Supreme Court
    • 19 Junio 1979
    ...528 F.2d 1331, 1338-39 The trial court was not in error in overruling the defendant's claim. (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 947, 96 S.Ct. 1419, 47 L.Ed.2d 354. In that case, the court noted that Connecticut grand jury proceedings are "readily distinguishable from" the Alabama preliminary......
  • State v. Couture
    • United States
    • Connecticut Supreme Court
    • 2 Octubre 1984
    ...320, 330, 90 S.Ct. 518, 523, 24 L.Ed.2d 549 (1970); Cobbs v. Robinson, 528 F.2d 1331, 1334 (2d Cir.1975), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 947, 96 S.Ct. 1419, 47 L.Ed.2d 354 (1976); State v. Cobbs, 164 Conn. 402, 407, 324 A.2d 234, cert. denied, 414 U.S. 861, 94 S.Ct. 77, 38 L.Ed.2d 112 (1973). In Pe......
  • Blazak v. Ricketts
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit
    • 4 Agosto 1992
    ...762 F.2d 45 (6th Cir.1985); United States ex rel. Stachulak v. Coughlin, 520 F.2d 931 (7th Cir.1975), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 947, 96 S.Ct. 1419, 47 L.Ed.2d 354 (1976). These cases emphasize that the focus of a habeas claim is upon the validity of the conviction and that once this is determi......
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1 books & journal articles
  • Punishment and the wild beast of prey: the problem of preventive detention.
    • United States
    • Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Vol. 86 No. 3, March 1996
    • 22 Marzo 1996
    ...n.5 (Stevens, J., dissenting) (quoting United States ex rel. Stachulak v. Coughlin, 520 F.2d 931, 936 n.4 (7th Cir. 1975), cert. denied 424 U.S. 947 (1976)). (51) Id. at 370 (quoting Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez, (52) Id. at 374. Some think that what distinguishes punishment from civil commi......

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