United States v. Bagley

United States v. Bagley
Argued March 20, 1985
Decided July 2, 1985
Full case nameUnited States v. Bagley
Citations473 U.S. 667 (more)
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorBagley v. Lumpkin, 719 F.2d 1462 (CA9 1983)
Holding
The Court of Appeals erred in holding that the prosecutor's failure to disclose evidence that could have been used effectively to impeach important Government witnesses requires automatic reversal. Such nondisclosure constitutes constitutional error and requires reversal of the conviction only if the evidence is material in the sense that its suppression might have affected the outcome of the trial.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Case opinions
MajorityBlackmun (Parts I and II), joined by Burger, White, Rehnquist, O'Connor
PluralityBlackmun (Part III), joined by O'Connor
ConcurrenceWhite (in part and in judgment), joined by Burger, Rehnquist
DissentMarshall, joined by Brennan
DissentStevens
Powell took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667 (1985), was a Supreme Court of the United States case that established the standard for materiality under Brady v. Maryland.