Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Case Law
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When does this apply
| State | Citation | Question | Brief answer | Language from the opinion | When does the case apply? | |
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Utah | Neilson v. Dennett, 450 P.2d 93, 95 (Utah 1969) |
Under state constitutional or statutory law, what are the minimum requirements for a constitutionally adequate ability-to-pay determination? Include any guidance about the substantive standards to apply, the burden of proof, + See morethe sources of information that should be considered, and the timing of the determination (i.e. before imposition, before enforcement action, only if incarceration is threatened).
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ability to pay should be determined at the time order is imposed to pay money. |
However, in this case it was incumbent upon the trial court to find that the appellant at the time the order was made had the ability to pay over the + See moremoney and thereafter refused to do so before the judge could hold the appellant in contempt for failure to pay
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Ability to pay |
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Utah | State v. Vincent, 883 P.2d 278, 283 (Utah 1994) | Other applicable case law |
A defendant has the initial burden of establishing indigence. The defendant must establish that payment would place an undue hardship on the defendant's ability to provide for the basic necessities + See moreof life
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[T]he defendants bear the initial burden of establishing their indigence. Generally speaking, a person is indigent for purposes of sections 77321 and 2 if payments for counsel or transcripts would + See moreplace an undue hardship on the defendant's ability to provide the basic necessities of life for the defendant and the defendant's family.
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Ability to pay |
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Utah | State v. Haston, 811 P.2d 929, 936 (Utah Ct. App. 1991), rev'd, 846 P.2d 1276 (Utah 1993) | Other applicable case law |
Imposition of fine and the amount of the fine is left to the discretion of the court. A judge need not give an explanation for the fine he or she + See moreimposes.
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Imposition of a fine, and the accompanying mandatory surcharge, is a matter left to the discretion of the trial court. Utah Code Ann. §§ 6363a1 (1989), 763301.5(5) (1990). No particular + See moreexplanation needs to be made by the trial court.
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Fines and fees |
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Washington DC | Smith v. Smith, 427 A.2d 928, 932 (D.C. 1981) |
Under state constitutional or statutory law, what are the minimum requirements for a constitutionally adequate ability-to-pay determination? Include any guidance about the substantive standards to apply, the burden of proof, + See morethe sources of information that should be considered, and the timing of the determination (i.e. before imposition, before enforcement action, only if incarceration is threatened).
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Courts must hold indigence hearing before determining failure to pay was willful (and punishing);
Defendant bears burden of showing inability to pay;
Court must consider earnings as well as capacity in + See morecurrent job market given educational background and work experience
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"When faced with a motion for contempt establishing noncompliance with a support order, the defendant bears the burden of showing an inability to pay or some other excuse for failure + See moreto comply.
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Ability to pay, of course, “is not merely a function of actual earnings but is to be derived, more broadly, from earning capacity in the current job market, given one's educational background and work experience.”
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Because appellant's motion to reduce support gave the trial court sufficient notice that he might be unable to meet his obligations under the stay of the contempt commitment, the trial court was obliged to hold a hearing and make a finding of ability to pay before revoking the stay.
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Ability to pay |
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Washington DC | Lee v. Habib, 424 F.2d 891, 904 (D.C. Cir. 1970) | Other applicable case law | As in criminal cases, courts must consider ability to pay in civil cases |
The equal protection clause applies to both civil and criminal cases; the Constitution protects life, liberty and property. It is the importance of the right to the individual, not the + See moretechnical distinction between civil and criminal, which should be of importance to a court in deciding what procedures are constitutionally required in each case.44 Often a poor litigant will have more at stake in a civil case than in a criminal case....
We hold today only that the United States must pay for transcripts for indigent litigants allowed to appeal in forma pauperis to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals if the trial judge or a judge of the DCCA certifies that the appeal raises a substantial question the resolution of which requires a transcript. We do not hold that every civil case will require a transcript on appeal.59 We indicate no opinion as to whether one will be necessary in this case.
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Ability to pay |