State v. Strasburg | |
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Court | Washington Supreme Court |
Full case name | The State of Washington v. Martin Strasburg |
Decided | September 10, 1910 |
Citation(s) | 110 P. 1020, 60 Wash. 106, 1910 Wash. LEXIS 1016 |
Case history | |
Appealed from | Superior Court of King County |
Court membership | |
Judges sitting | Rudkin, Chadwick, Crow, Fullerton, Gose, Morris, Mount, Parker |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Parker, joined by Crow and Mount |
Concurrence | Rudkin, joined by Gose and Chadwick; Dunbar joined in part |
Concur/dissent | Morris |
Dissent | Fullerton |
Keywords | |
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State v. Strasburg, 110 P. 1020 (Wash. 1910), was a case decided by the Washington Supreme Court that held that a statute eliminating the insanity defense was unconstitutional. The court likened the exclusion of evidence of insanity to a denial of trial by jury. [1]
Martin Strasburg, described as "an unknown and penniless stranger", was convicted of assault after shooting Otto Peeck in a saloon in Seattle. Lawyers saw the Strasburg case as an opportunity to have the Washington law that forbade insanity defenses declared unconstitutional. [2] The effect of the Supreme Court declaring the law unconstitutional was said to be expected to reverse the convictions of "scores" of people. [3]