Vasquez v. United States

Issue: Whether the Seventh Circuit violated this Court's precedent on harmless error when it focused its harmless error analysis solely on the weight of the untainted evidence without considering the potential effect of the error (the erroneous admission of trial counsel's statements that his client would lose the case and should plead guilty for their truth) on this jury; and (2) whether the Seventh Circuit violated Mr. Vasquez's Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial by determining that Mr. Vasquez should have been convicted without considering the effects of the district court's error on the jury that heard the case.

Judgment: Dismissed as improvidently granted in a per curiam opinion on April 2, 2012.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

• Opinion analysis: Harmless error case dismissed as improvidently granted (Tejinder Singh)
• Argument recap: More disagreement, please (Tejinder Singh)
• Argument preview: What makes an error harmless? (Tejinder Singh)

Briefs and Documents

Merits Briefs for the Petitioner

• Brief for Alexander Vasquez
• Reply Brief for Alexander Vasquez

Amicus Briefs Supporting the Petitioner

• Brief for Jeffrey K. Skilling 
• Brief for National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 

Merits Briefs for the Respondent

• Brief for the  United States

Amicus Briefs in Support of the Respondent

• Brief for Texas et al.

Certiorari-stage documents

• Opinion below (7th Cir.)
• Petition for certiorari
• Brief for the United States
• Petitioner's reply