People of Michigan v. Damon Earl Warner

Summary

The Michigan Supreme Court held that an indigent defendant was denied due process when the trial court refused to fund consultation with a false-confessions expert based on an erroneous belief that such testimony was categorically inadmissible. The court concluded that the confession was central to the prosecution's case and that the defendant showed a reasonable probability that expert assistance would aid the defense and that its denial would make the trial fundamentally unfair. The court reversed the Court of Appeals judgment and remanded for an indigency determination and further proceedings.