Supreme Court of the United States
New York v. Hill
January 11, 2000528 U.S. 110
Summary
Justice Scalia delivered the unanimous opinion holding that defense counsel’s agreement to a specified trial date beyond the Interstate Agreement on Detainers’ time limit waived the defendant’s right to dismissal based on that delay. Routine scheduling decisions fall within counsel’s authority and do not require the defendant’s personal assent. Neither the agreement’s good-cause continuance provision nor its public purposes foreclosed waiver, and waiver did not depend on whether the defense proposed the delay or merely agreed to it. The Court reversed the New York Court of Appeals. There were no separate opinions.
Holding
- Whether counsel’s agreement to a specified trial date beyond the statutory deadline binds the defendant.. Defense counsel’s agreement to the specified trial date waived the defendant’s right to seek dismissal because of that delay; the defendant’s personal assent was unnecessary.
- Whether the agreement’s continuance provision and public purposes prohibit waiver.. Neither the good-cause continuance provision nor the public interests served by the agreement defeats the ordinary presumption that its time limits may be waived for a specified delay.
- Whether waiver requires the defense to propose the delay.. Agreement to a proposed trial date can constitute waiver even when the defense did not affirmatively request that date.
Docket 98-1299
Cited authorities
- N.Y. Crim. Proc. Law § 580.20
- 18 U.S.C. §3161
- 18 U.S.C. § 3162
Cited by
- Commonwealth v. Frederick E. Trussell
- Commonwealth v. Larinso Myers
- David Thompson v. Bruce Gelb
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Appellee v. James T. Williams, Appellant
- Randy Antonio Estrada v. the State of Texas
- In Re Deepwater Horizon. Seacor Holdings, Incorporated Seacor Offshore, L.L.C. Seacor Marine, L.L.C., as Beneficial…
- Michael Wayne Parson, Appellant v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, Appellee
- Ex Parte Bernhardt Tiede, Ii, Applicant — Keller, J., Dissenting