Supreme Court of New Jersey

State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Alonzo B. Hill, Defendant-Appellant

July 14, 2009199 N.J. 545

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the convictions and remanded for a new trial because the trial court erred by giving a Clawans charge that allowed the jury to draw an adverse inference from the defendant's failure to call a witness, a practice that improperly shifts the State's burden of proof in a criminal case.