Stack v. Boyle case brief

Stack v. Boyle case brief summary
342 U.S. 1 (1951)

CASE SYNOPSIS

Petitioner accused individuals sought a writ of habeas corpus after their motions for the reduction of their bail was denied. They claimed that their bail was excessive under theEighth Amendment. After the United States District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied their writs for habeas corpus, the accused individuals filed a petition for writ of certiorari.

CASE FACTS
The accused individuals submitted statements as to their financial resources, family relationships, health, prior criminal records, and other information in order to show that their bail was excessive under the Eighth Amendment. The government only presented evidence of a certified record showing that four persons previously convicted under the Smith Act, as the accused individuals were, had forfeited bail.

DISCUSSION

• On appeal, the Court determined that bail set at a figure higher than an amount reasonably calculated to assure the presence of the accused individuals was excessive under the Eighth Amendment. 
• The Court further determined that if bail in an amount greater that that usually fixed for serious charges of crimes was required in the case of any of the accused individuals, that was a matter to which evidence should have been directed in a hearing so that the constitutional rights of each of the accused individuals could be preserved. 
• The Court found that because of the absence of such a showing, the fixing of bail before trial could not be squared with the statutory and constitutional standards for admission to bail. 
• The Court held that bail was not fixed by proper methods.

CONCLUSION
The Court granted certiorari and vacated the judgment of the appellate court denying the accused individuals' writ for habeas corpus. The case was remanded to the district court with directions to vacate its order denying the accused individuals' applications for writs of habeas corpus and to dismiss the applications without prejudice.



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