Supreme Court of the United States
Mesarosh, Alias Nelson v. United States
November 5, 1956352 U.S. 1
Summary
The Court held that the Government's disclosures had wholly discredited the credibility of its witness Joseph Mazzei and tainted the petitioners' convictions. Because Mazzei's testimony was admitted against all defendants and the jury could no longer determine what verdict it would reach without that testimony, the Court rejected a remand for further factfinding and ordered a new trial for all petitioners. Justice Harlan, joined by Justices Frankfurter and Burton, dissented, arguing that the case should have been remanded to the District Court for a full investigation.
Holding
- Whether Mazzei's post-trial testimony and the Government's concessions tainted the convictions. The Government's representations established that Mazzei's credibility had been wholly discredited, and his testimony tainted the entire trial because it was admitted against all petitioners and could not be treated as insignificant to the verdicts.
- Whether the Court should remand for a credibility hearing or order a new trial. A remand was inappropriate; the judgments had to be reversed with directions to grant a new trial to all petitioners.
Docket 20