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131 Harv. L. Rev. 2117 (2017-2018)
Harmless Errors and Substantial Rights

handle is hein.journals/hlr131 and id is 2153 raw text is: VOLUME 131                                          JUNE 2018                                          NUMBER 8
HARVARD LAW REVIEW
© 2018 by The Harvard Law Review Association
ARTICLES
HARMLESS ERRORS AND SUBSTANTIAL RIGHTS
Daniel Epps
CONTENTS
IN T R O D U C T IO N  ..........................................................................................................................2119
I THE RISE OF HARMLESS CONSTITUTIONAL ERROR ...............................................2126
A. Origins ..............................................................................................................................2126
. Harmless Error Generally ........................................................................................2126
2. The Possibility of Harmless Constitutional Error ................................................2129
B. Growth and Development...............................................................................................2135
II. THE ENDURING RIDDLES OF HARMLESS ERROR ....................................................2142
A .  W hat  Source    of  L aw ?  ..................................................................................................... 2142
. Part and Parcel of Constitutional Rights...............................................................2143
2.  S tatu tory  Text.............................................................................................................2144
3. Due Process................................................................................................................2146
4. Constitutional Common Law and the Law of Remedies ......................................2149
B. Can Constitutional Errors Be Harmless, and If So Which Ones?...........................2151
z. The Legitimacy of Harmless Constitutional Error................................................2151
2. The Chapman Step Zero Question..........................................................................2153
C. How Should Courts Conduct Harmless Error Analysis? ..........................................2155
III. RIGHTS, NOT REMEDIES .................................................................................................2158
A. The Theory.......................................................................................................................2159
B. Benefits of the Rights-Based Approach........................................................................2164
. Answering the Source-of-Law Question .................................................................2164
2. Making Sense of the Statutory Text ........................................................................2165
3. Helping to Answer the Step Zero Question............................................................2166
4 Guiding (and Constraining) Harmless Error Analysis ........................................2168
C.  O bjection   and   R esponse   .................................................................................................2170
D .  A pp lications  .....................................................................................................................2174
. The Right to an Impartial Judge .............................................................................2175
2.  C oerced   C onfessions..................................................................................................2176
3. Jury Instructional Errors .........................................................................................2177
4   Illegally  O btained   E  vidence   .....................................................................................2179
. Batson and the Right to a Public Trial..................................................................2181

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