United States v. Adams

271 F.3d 1236 (2001)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
U
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

United States v. Adams

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
271 F.3d 1236 (2001)

RW

Facts

Dale L. Adams (defendant) was tried and convicted for possession of a firearm by a felon. The United States government (plaintiff) based much of its case on incriminating statements Adams made after his arrest. Prior to a hearing that took place shortly before trial, Adams faxed an expert psychological report to the trial judge. The report cast doubt on the reliability of Adams's incriminating statements, given Adams's psychological characteristics. Introduction of this report might have supported Adams's later trial testimony, in which he denied the truth of his incriminating statements. The report was not marked as an exhibit and never became part of the trial record. The judge referred to the report at the pretrial hearing and refused to allow its introduction at trial. At trial, Adams argued the excluded report would support his testimony and again sought to admit the report into evidence. The government objected and the judge rejected the offer of proof. Adams appealed his conviction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Adams contended rejection of his offer of proof deprived him of due process and a fair trial. Adams moved the appellate court to accept the proffered report as a supplement to the trial record and the government did not object.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Kelly, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 811,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 811,000 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Evidence

Key Terms