State v. Harrison
Utah Supreme Court
24 P.3d 936 (2001)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
Flint Harrison (defendant) was charged with rape and forcible sexual abuse of 17-year-old A.G. Because A.G. was a minor, the court appointed a guardian ad litem to represent her. The court permitted the guardian ad litem to sit at counsel table with the prosecutor, object to questions asked by defense counsel, and ask follow-up questions to those asked by the prosecutor. The court declined to permit the guardian ad litem to make an opening or closing argument. Harrison was convicted. On appeal, Harrison argued that his right to a fair trial was violated because the guardian ad litem was permitted to sit at counsel table with the prosecutor, object to questions asked by defense counsel, and question witnesses.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wilkins, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 820,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
