Charlie Holley v. United States

Federal Rule of Evidence 801(c) defines hearsay as a statement offered to “prove the truth of the matter asserted.” In Smith v. Arizona, 602 U.S. 779 (2024), this Court held that when an out-of-court statement supports the prosecution’s case only if it is true, it is offered for its truth. Eight courts of appeals ask whether an outof-court accusation linking the defendant to the crime was needed to explain police conduct before accepting that it was offered only for that purpose. The Eleventh Circuit asks only whether the government stated an investigative purpose and whether Federal Rule of Evidence 403 is satisfied. The question presented is: Whether, under Rule 801(c), a court may admit an out-of-court accusation linking the defendant to the crime as offered only to explain police conduct, without determining whether the accusation was needed to explain that conduct.