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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 2II7