Bruton v. United States
United States Supreme Court
391 U.S. 123 (1968)
At a joint trial of Bruton (defendant) and Evans for armed postal robbery, a postal inspector testified that Evans confessed both men had committed the crime; the confession was admitted against Evans, with the jury instructed to disregard it entirely when assessing Bruton's guilt. Both men were convicted; the Eighth Circuit vacated Evans's conviction over the hearsay confession but affirmed Bruton's, reasoning the limiting instruction adequately protected him, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether admitting a co-defendant's confession that incriminates the defendant, at a joint trial, violates the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause even when the jury is instructed to disregard it as to the defendant.