corroboration
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 348 U.S. 147 - Smith v. United States · 1954Most cited · 1,988 citing opinions
quantum and mode
the corroborative evidence does not have to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt, or even by a preponderance, as long as there is substantial independent evidence that the offense has been committed, and the evidence as a whole proves beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant is guilty. All elements of the offense must be established by independent evidence or corroborated admissions, but one available mode of corroboration is for the independent evidence to bolster the confession itself and thereby prove the offense 'through' the statements of the accused.
How often courts cite the cases defining “corroboration”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “corroboration” — 2,809 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1954–1954
- ORIGINAL
the corroborative evidence suffices if it shows a substantial deficiency for the over-all prosecution period. It provides substantial evidence that the crime or crimes of tax evasion have been committed; the corroboration rule requires no more.
multi-year prosecution