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Williamson v. United States

Supreme Court of the United States (1994) | 129 L. Ed. 2d 476; 114 S. Ct. 2431; 512 U.S. 594; 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4832

3 min read

TL;DR: A co-defendant's confession implicating the accused was admitted at trial. The Supreme Court held that the hearsay exception for statements against interest only covers specific, self-inculpatory remarks within a confession, not the entire narrative, especially parts that shift blame to others.

Legal Significance: This case narrowly defines "statement" under Federal Rule of Evidence 804(b)(3), requiring courts to parse confessions and admit only the truly self-inculpatory portions, excluding collateral, non-inculpatory assertions, particularly those that implicate a third party.