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DAWSON v. DELAWARE

No. 90-6704.

503 U.S. 159 (1992)

DAWSON v. DELAWARE

United States Supreme Court.

Decided March 9, 1992.

Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Bernard J. O'Donnell argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs was Brian J. Bartley.

Richard E. Fairbanks, Jr., argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief were Charles M. Oberly III, Attorney General of Delaware, and Gary A. Myers and Loren C. Meyers, Deputy Attorneys General.*

Rehnquist, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which White, Blackmun, Stevens, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, and Souter, JJ., joined. Blackmun, J., filed a concurring opinion, p. 169. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion, p. 169.

Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

The question presented in this case is whether the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit the introduction in a capital sentencing proceeding of the fact that the defendant was a member of an organization called the Aryan Brotherhood, where the evidence has no relevance to the issues being decided in the proceeding. We hold that they do.

Shortly after midnight on December 1, 1986, petitioner David...

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