Stack v. Boyle
| Stack v. Boyle | |
|---|---|
| Argued October 18, 1951 Decided November 5, 1951 | |
| Full case name | Loretta Starvus Stack, et al. v. James J. Boyle, United States Marshal |
| Citations | 342 U.S. 1 (more) 72 S. Ct. 1; 96 L. Ed. 3 |
| Holding | |
| Bail had been set unusually high for the defendants since there was no evidence that they would flee before the trial date, and was therefore in violation of their Eighth Amendment rights. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Vinson, joined by Black, Reed, Frankfurter, Douglas, Jackson, Burton, Clark |
| Concurrence | Jackson, joined by Frankfurter |
| Minton took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. Amend. VIII; Smith Act | |
Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1 (1951), was a United States Supreme Court case involving the arrest of members of the Communist Party who were charged with conspiring to violate the Smith Act. The case regards the Eighth Amendment issue of excessive bail.
The District Court had set bail at the fixed amount of $50,000 (roughly $500,000 in 2017) for each of the petitioners. This was an amount greater than that used with other serious crimes. The defendants moved to reduce bail, claiming that it was “excessive” under the Eighth Amendment. The defendants were detained in the custody of appellee, United States Marshal James J. Boyle.