Kansas v. Crane
United States Supreme Court
534 U.S. 407 (2002)
- Written by Walter Machniki, JD
Facts
Crane (defendant) was a previously convicted sex offender who suffered from exhibitionism and antisocial personality disorder. Kansas sought his civil commitment, and after a jury trial in district court, Crane was ordered to be committed. The state supreme court reversed the commitment, claiming that the precedent case Kansas v. Hendricks, 521 U.S 346 (1997) had interpreted the United States Constitution as requiring there to be “a finding that the defendant cannot control his dangerous behavior.” In the state supreme court’s opinion, the trial court did not make such a finding. Kansas appealed this decision to the United States Supreme Court, claiming that the state supreme court wrongly interpreted the Hendricks opinion when it stated that the “state always [has] to prove that a dangerous individual is completely unable to control his behavior.” The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Breyer, J.)
Dissent (Scalia, J.)
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