“Plain Error” and “Fundamental Fairness”: Toward a Definition of Exceptions to the Rules of Procedural Default, 29 DePaul L. Rev. 753 (1980)

Authors

Paul T. Wangerin, John Marshall Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1980

Abstract

Historically, criminal defense counsel have been required to make timely procedural motions and contemporaneous objections to trial or pretrial errors or lose forever the right to raise those errors on appeal. In recent years, exceptions to this general rule favoring finality of litigation have proliferated. Mr. Wangerin suggests a theory underlying these previously undefined exceptions and outlines a method for identifying errors that justify appellate review despite procedural default.

Recommended Citation

Paul T. Wangerin, “Plain Error” and “Fundamental Fairness”: Toward a Definition of Exceptions to the Rules of Procedural Default, 29 DePaul L. Rev. 753 (1980).