Huddleston v. United States

Huddleston v. United States
Argued March 23, 1988
Decided May 2, 1988
Full case nameGuy Rufus Huddleston v. United States of America
Citations485 U.S. 681 (more)
108 S. Ct. 1496; 99 L. Ed. 2d 771; 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2035
Case history
PriorConviction affirmed by the Sixth Circuit, 811 F.2d 974 (6th Cir. 1987).
Holding
Evidence of other acts is admissible in federal court to show motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, or identity, and without a threshold determination that the acts have been proven.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
Case opinion
MajorityRehnquist, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
Fed. R. Evid. 404(b)

Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681 (1988), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that before admitting evidence of extrinsic acts under Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, federal courts should assess the evidence's sufficiency under Federal Rule of Evidence 104(b). Under 104(b), "[w]hen the relevancy of evidence depends upon the fulfillment of a condition of fact, the court shall admit it upon, or subject to, the introduction of evidence sufficient to support a finding of the fulfillment of the condition."