Retroactive Changes to the Diminished-Capacity Defense: Reviewing the Effect on Due Process.

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court case Metrish v. Lancaster wherein the case of Burt Lancaster, a defendant in a Michigan murder trial who sought to present a diminished-capacity defense on retrial, was reviewed by the Supreme Court. Topics discussed include the Court's rejection of the defendant's use of the diminished-capacity defense on retrial, other cases cited in the decision, and an explanation of the diminished-capacity defense.