Crawford v. United States

Citations

• 212 U.S. 183
• 29 S. Ct. 260
• 53 L. Ed. 465
• 1909 U.S. LEXIS 1805

Syllabus

<p>An agreement by an official of the United States under which he secretly receives any portion of what is paid for supplies furnished on his requisition is one to defraud the United States within § 5440, Rev. Stat.</p> <p>An indictment which sets forth the details of a corrupt contract between defendant and a government official by which, from its nature, the Government would be defrauded, is sufficient to sustain a charge of conspiracy under § 5440, Rev. Stat., even if it does not allege in what particular manner the • conspirators intended to de- • fraud the United'States.</p> <p>In criminal cases courts are not as exacting in regard to the character of objections as in civil cases, and will notice error in the trial of a criminal case although the question may not have been raised in exactly the proper manner at the trial. Wiborg v. United States, 163 U. S. 632.</p> <p>Where defendant was on trial for conspiracy under § 5440, Rev. Stat., an objection to a juror on the ground that he was a salaried official of the United States held in this case to reach to the qualifications of the juror by reason of his relations with the Government although he was not a salaried officer thereof. .</p> <p>The common law in force in Maryland on February 27, 1801, remains in force in the District of Columbia except as inconsistent with statutes subsequently enacted.</p> <p>Under the common law one is not a competent juror who is master, servant, steward, counsellor or attorney of either party, and statutory provisions of qualifications, not inconsistent with this rule, do not strike it down.</p> <p>In the District of Columbia jurors must, at least, have the qualifications stated in § 215, and are exempt under § 217 of the Code, but these sections are not inconsistent with, or exclusive of, the common-law rule that one in relation with either party is incompetent.</p> <p>Bias disqualifies a juror, and bias is implied in the relation between employer and employé and actual evidenc