United States v. Hollywood Motor Car Co., Inc.

Summary

The Court held that a district court's refusal to dismiss an indictment based on alleged prosecutorial vindictiveness is not immediately appealable under the collateral-order exception to the final-judgment rule. Because the alleged vindictiveness claim could be reviewed after final judgment and did not involve a right that would be lost by proceeding to trial, the Court reversed and directed dismissal of the interlocutory appeal. Justice Blackmun, joined by Justices Brennan and Marshall, dissented, arguing that the jurisdictional issue required full briefing and that the claimed protection against vindictive prosecution may be lost if review is postponed until after trial.