United States v. Skipper
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
74 F.3d 608 (1996)
Relevant factsFree
The federal government (plaintiff) prosecuted John Derrick Skipper (defendant) for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. At trial, the government introduced a state judgment against "John Derrick Skipper" bearing his fingerprints, plus a separate deferred adjudication order against a "John D. Skipper" that bore no fingerprints. A jury convicted Skipper, and he appealed, arguing the second document was never shown to be about him.
IssueFree
Whether an item must be authenticated as what its proponent claims it to be under Federal Rule of Evidence 901(a) before a court may admit it into evidence.