''Sandstrom v. Montana'', 442 U.S. 510 (1979), is a United States Supreme Court case that reaffirmed the prosecution's burden of proof of the mental element of a

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

by striking down a

jury instruction Jury instructions, directions to the jury, or judge's charge are legal rules that jurors should follow when deciding a case. They are a type of jury control procedure to support a fair trial. Description Jury instructions are the set of legal ...

that "the law presumes that a person intends the ordinary consequences of his voluntary acts".Criminal Law Cases and Materials, Seventh Edition, 2012; John Kaplan, Robert Weisberg, Guyora Binder In ''

Francis v. Franklin ''Francis v. Franklin'', 471 U.S. 307 (1985), is a United States Supreme Court decision reaffirming due process principles elucidated in '' Sandstrom v. Montana'', that the prosecution bears the burden of proof of establishing the mental elemen ...

'', 471 U.S. 307 (1985), Justice Brennan wrote about "''Sandstrom'' and the wellspring due process principal from which it is drawn" as follows:

References

External links

* 1979 in United States case law United States Supreme Court cases United States Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court {{SCOTUS-stub