The following excerpt is from Lyons v. Kiernan, 26 F.3d 131 (9th Cir. 1994):
To prevail on this issue, Lyons must show more than an erroneous jury instruction. He must show that the erroneous instruction, when evaluated in the context of the instructions as a whole, "so infected the entire trial that the resulting conviction violates due process." Prantil v. California, 843 F.2d 314, 317 (9th Cir.1988) (Prantil ), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 861 (1988). Lyons must show that the general intent instruction, when analyzed in conjunction with all other instructions, would allow the jury to convict him without finding that he had the specific intent to dissuade a witness from testifying.
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.