Repository Collection 03
Delaware v. Van Arsdall
CASE ENTRY
Last Revised • July 9, 2026
This Source Verification Page documents the United States Supreme Court's decision in Delaware v. Van Arsdall, cited in Claim II of the Supplemental Motion. The decision addresses the constitutional right to cross-examine adverse witnesses under the Sixth Amendment and the standard for determining whether Confrontation Clause violations constitute harmless error.
Related SMAR Citation
“[See 53 also: Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673 (1986): confrontation violations require harmless error review; burden on the state to prove harmlessness beyond a reasonable doubt;”
Case Name
Delaware v. Van Arsdall
Citation
475 U.S. 673 (1986)
Date
April 7, 1986
Verification Source
Original United States Supreme Court opinion
Source Location
United States Supreme Court Opinion
Highlighted Pages
678 - 680, 684
Referenced in the Supplemental Motion
Page 52 - 53, Paragraph: 108
✔ Original Court Order obtained and reviewed.
✔ Relevant passages highlighted.
✔ Publicly available source
✔ Included within the Source Verification Archive
May's reliance upon Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673 (1986), for the principle that
restrictions on a defendant's right to cross-examine adverse witnesses may violate the
Confrontation Clause and that such violations are subject to harmless-error review. Van Arsdall is
cited to establish that the burden rests upon the State to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a
confrontation violation was harmless. May relies upon this authority to support his claim that the
jury was prevented from hearing evidence bearing upon the credibility, bias, motives, and reliability
of Darrell Godfrey and other witnesses central to the State's case.
Link to the original article.
Working research copy containing the highlighted passages cited in the Supplemental Motion.
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Source Status
Cited to Support
Supporting Documents
Original Article
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