Yarborough v. Alvarado

7 Analyses of this case by attorneys

  1. Confession - Miranda – In Custody Requirement

    Garland, Samuel & Loeb, P.C.Don SamuelSeptember 1, 2015

    The Court holds that once the defendant is released from custody (and that includes being returned to general population in prison, which is not “in custody” for Miranda purposes), the police may re-initiate questioning after fourteen days. In other words, if the defendant invokes his right to counsel and is later released from custody, the police must wait at least fourteen days prior to contacting the defendant and interrogating him.Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652, 124 S.Ct. 2140 (2004)In this habeas case, the Supreme Court held that the state court did not unreasonably apply controlling Supreme Court doctrine when it held that a suspect’s age is not factor to be considered in deciding whether he is “in custody” for Miranda purposes. The Court did not definitively hold that age is not a factor, but simply held that in the context of a habeas petition, the state court did not err in holding that age is not a factor.

  2. Habeas Corpus - A Harsh Decision

    Habeas Corpus BlogSeptember 28, 2009

    The court described the Simmons rule as a general rule, giving the state court's a lot of flexibility in how to apply it. It stated:As the Supreme Court stated in Yarborough [v. Alvarado 541 U.S. 652 (2004)], “evaluating whether a rule application was unreasonable requires considering the rule’s specificity. The more general the rule, the more leeway courts have in reaching outcomes in case-by-case determinations.”

  3. Brendan Dassey conviction overturned

    Wisconsin State Public DefenderAugust 14, 2016

    Once considered in this proper light, the conclusion that Dassey’s statement was involuntary under the totality of the circumstances is not one about which “fairminded jurists could disagree.” See [Harrington v.] Richter, 562 U.S. [86,] 101 [(2011)] (quoting Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652, 664 (2004)). Consequently, the court finds that the confession Dassey gave to the police on March 1, 2006 was so clearly involuntary in a constitutional sense that the court of appeals’ decision to the contrary was an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.(Slip op. at 85-88).

  4. Habeas Review – Guilty Plea – Ineffective Assistance

    Wisconsin State Public DefenderJanuary 19, 2011

    At the very least, the state court would not have been unreasonable to so conclude. Cf. Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U. S. 652, 664 (2004) (explaining that state courts enjoy “more leeway” under AEDPA in applying general standards).Slip op., p. 11.

  5. The Impact the New Term will have on Decisions

    Atlanta's John Marshall Law SchoolTimothy O'NeillNovember 12, 2010

    (The closest it has come is deciding in a habeas corpus case that it was not "unreasonable" under deferential AEDPA review for a state court to not use age as a factor. Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652 (2004).)My hunch is that the defense-friendly facts in J.D.B. may indicate the court will hold that age is a proper factor, especially where, as here, it was obvious to the police that the suspect was a 13- year-old seventh-grader.

  6. J.D.B. v. North Carolina, USSC No. 09-11121, cert granted 11/1/10

    Wisconsin State Public DefenderNovember 1, 2010

    Scotusblog pageThe nub of the lower court holding: … This Court adheres to the view that “the custody inquiry states an objective rule designed to give clear guidance to the police, while consideration of a suspect’s individual characteristics–including his age–could be viewed as creating a subjective inquiry.” Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652, 668, 124 S. Ct. 2140, 2151-52, 158 L. Ed. 2d 938, 954 (2004) (citing Mathiason, 429 U.S. at 495-96, 97 S. Ct. at 714, 50 L. Ed. 2d at 719).1 Under the circumstances of the case sub judice, we decline to extend the test for custody to include consideration of the age and academic standing of an individual subjected to questioning by police.At the time, J.D.B. was a 13-year-old, special ed middle-schooler, interrogated in a closed conference room at his school.

  7. Miranda – Custody

    Wisconsin State Public DefenderFebruary 28, 2007

    Craker v. State, 66 Wis. 2d 222, 229, 223 N.W.2d 872 (1974). Nothing in Carrie’s demand would lead a reasonable person in Torkelson’s position to believe he was in the custody of the State while at the police station. [5][5] Torkelson relies on Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652 (2004). However,Yarborough involved a minor brought to the police station by his parents.