Condello v. United States
Condello v. United States
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the facts as above). The exception was to “the refusal of the court to charge as requested.” In other words, it is assigned for error that the' court refused to charge totidem verbis a proposition of law, which for purposes of discussion we assume to be sound. What, under existing prohibition laws, is the exact measure of a druggist’s duty in respect to the signature on a whisky prescription, we do not feel obliged to ascertain at 'present, because the point is not material to the case at bar. But we do again point out that not every refusal to charge sound law constitutes reversible error, because that particular legal proposition may not be material to the question before the jury. Kalmanson v. United States (C. C. A.) 287 Fed. 71. And even in criminal causes reversible error means substantial error; i. e., that which by reasonable inference might have prejudiced the party complaining. Linn v. United States, 251 Fed. 476, 483, 163 C. C. A. 470, and cases cited.
In this case the single point shown by the bill of exceptions, and. insisted on by the court to the jury, was whether there ever was anything that looked like a prescription produced by any one to this defendant as a reason for his admitted production of the admitted whisky. There was not the slightest evidence that Condello examined the sig
Judgment affirmed.
MAYER, Circuit Judge, dissents.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CONDELLO v. UNITED STATES
- Status
- Published