In re Oliver/Dissent Jackson

by Hugo Black

United States Supreme Court

333 U.S. 257

In re Oliver

 Argued: Dec. 11, 1947. --- Decided: March 8, 1948

Mr. Justice JACKSON, with whom Mr. Justice FRANKFURTER agrees, dissenting.

The principal ground assigned for reversal of the judgment of conviction is the alleged secrecy of the contempt procedure. That ground was not assigned for review in the petition for certiorari to this Court. Nor was it raised in the petition for writ of habeas corpus in the state courts. Therefore, it has not been litigated and the record has not been made with reference to it. On the other hand, the principal question raised by the petition to this Court and argued by the State is not decided by the Court's opinion.

When a case here from a state court involves a question not litigated below, not raised by petitioner here and which the state court has had no opportunity to pass upon, we should remand the case for its further consideration, as was just done in Musser v. Utah, 333 U.S. 95, 68 S.Ct. 397.

Notes