The U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case Delilah Guadalupe Diaz v. United States (No. 23-14) on June 20, 2024, finding that the government’s expert witness did not violate Rule 704(b). In her concurring opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson cited an amicus brief co-written by Professor Teneille Brown.
On March 19, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, and justices mentioned the amicus brief directly in arguments. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked the parties about examples in the brief and about the framework evidence analysis also provided.
In Diaz v. United States, Delilah Diaz was charged with importing meth to the U.S. despite claiming she was unaware of carrying drugs in the panels of the car she was driving. The amicus brief deals with an evidence rule (704(b)), and whether jurors—when deciding whether a defendant had a guilty mind—ought to be able to hear from experts about how groups of people tend to think and behave.