Quercia v. United States
United States Supreme Court
289 U.S. 466 (1933)
Relevant factsFree
After Quercia (defendant) testified denying federal narcotics charges, the trial judge told the jury that Quercia's hand-wiping while testifying was, in the judge's stated opinion as fact, proof he was lying, and that every word Quercia said was a lie, before adding that the jury was not bound by this opinion; Quercia was convicted, and the court of appeals affirmed.
IssueFree
Whether, under the federal code of judicial conduct, a judge may distort or add to the evidence in assisting a jury to reach a verdict.