State of Vermont v. John M. Duff

Summary

The court reversed the denial of defendant's motion to reduce bail and remanded for additional evidence and specific findings. It held that the existing record did not support the amount of bail under the ordinary bail statute and adopted a prima facie-case standard for determining whether bail may be denied under the life-imprisonment statute. The court also held that, even when bail may be denied as a matter of right, the defendant is entitled to a hearing on discretionary release.