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Criminal Law Keyed to LaFave
Clark v. Arizona
Citation:
548 U.S. 735, 126 S.Ct. 2709, 265 L.Ed.2d 842Facts
Clark was charged with first degree murder and the trial judge did not allow evidence of Clark’s mental illness to show that Clark did not possess the requisite intent or knowledge. The trial judge relied on an Arizona Supreme Court case, State v. Mott, which refused to allow testimony of psychiatric issues negate specific intent, and further held that Arizona does not allow mental disease evidence short of using it for an insanity plea in order to negate the mens rea element of a crime.
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Topic Resources
Topic Outline
Elements of a CrimeTopic Refresher Course
Elements of a Crime: Mens Rea