Stoner v. California/Concurrence Harlan

by John Marshall Harlan II

United States Supreme Court

376 U.S. 483

Stoner  v.  California

 Argued: Feb. 25, 1964. --- Decided: March 23, 1964

Mr. Justice HARLAN, concurring in part and dissenting in part.

I entirely agree wit the Court's opinion, except as to its disposition of the case. I would remand the case to the California District Court of Appeal so that it may consider whether or not admission of the illegally seized evidence was harmless error. Fahy v. Connecticut, 375 U.S. 85, 84 S.Ct. 229, 11 L.Ed.2d 171, does not require or justify the course which the Court takes. In Fahy, Connecticut at least had had the opportunity to decide the question of harmless error with respect to the illegally seized evidence there involved; here California has had no such opportunity. For this Court to decide that question as an original matter is, in my opinion, incompatible with proper federal-state relations.

Accordingly, I would vacate the judgment below and remand the case to the California courts for further appropriate proceedings.

Notes