Arnold v. State
Cases that cite this one
7 later published cases cite this decision.
- Bell v. State (Ind. 1954)
- Bredenderf v. State (Ind. 1923)
- Territory of Arizona v. Barth (Ariz. 1887)
- Miles v. United States (Supreme Court of the United States 1881)
- Densmore v. State (Ind. 1879)
- State v. Rover (Nev. 1876)
- Bradley v. State (Ind. 1869)
This list shows which later cases cite this one. It does not say how they treated it, and no review of that has been done. Not a substitute for Shepard’s or KeyCite — verify before relying.
Opinion of the Court
This was a prosecution for assault and battery. There was a jury trial, and conviction below.
The court below, (an attorney occupying the bench to try the cause) instructed the jury as follows: “A reasonable doubt as to any material fact must be such a doubt that convinces you that the fact does not exist. Perhaps in. this I may have given you the law a little too strong. I will modify it by saying this, If there is a reasonable doubt that arises in your minds, that convinces you that the fact is not as charged, you may acquit.”
This was an error.. A doubt never convinces. A reasonable doubt exists, when the evidence is not sufficient to satisfy the judgment of the truth of a proposition, with such certainty that a prudent man would feel safe in acting upon it in his own important affairs. The evidence is in the record, and is of such a nature as to have required a proper charge to the jury upon this subject.
The judgment below is reversed, and the cause remanded for a new trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.