Yamashita v. Styer
E60837
Yamashita v. Styer is a landmark 1946 U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita and established the controversial "command responsibility" doctrine in international law.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
→
World War II war crimes case → landmark case → |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
→
international humanitarian law → military law → |
| characterization |
controversial precedent
→
|
| citation |
327 U.S. 1
→
|
| concernsEvent |
Japanese occupation of the Philippines
→
atrocities by Japanese forces in the Philippines → |
| criticizedFor |
insufficient procedural safeguards
→
low evidentiary standards for command responsibility → |
| decisionDate |
1946
→
|
| dissentingJustice |
Justice Frank Murphy
→
Justice Wiley B. Rutledge → |
| dissentingOpinionConcern |
lack of fair trial guarantees
→
retroactive application of legal standards → vagueness of charges → |
| establishedDoctrine |
command responsibility
→
|
| executionLocation |
Philippines
→
|
| executionMethod |
hanging
→
|
| hasParty |
Styer
→
Tomoyuki Yamashita NERFINISHED → |
| holding |
commanders may be held responsible for failure to control troops
→
military commission had lawful authority → procedures of the commission did not violate the laws of war → upheld conviction of Tomoyuki Yamashita → |
| influenced |
development of customary international law on command responsibility
→
post–World War II war crimes tribunals → |
| involvesCountry |
Japan
→
United States → |
| involvesPerson |
General Tomoyuki Yamashita
→
|
| jurisdiction |
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
| legalIssue |
command responsibility
→
due process in military commissions → jurisdiction of military commissions → war crimes liability → |
| legalPrinciple |
a commander can be criminally liable for failing to prevent or punish war crimes by subordinates
→
|
| majorityOpinionBy |
Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone
→
|
| originatedFrom |
military commission in the Philippines
→
|
| proceduralPosture |
habeas corpus petition
→
|
| relatedDoctrine |
superior responsibility
→
|
| relatedToConflict |
World War II
→
|
| resultForPetitioner |
habeas corpus denied
→
|
| sentenceUpheld |
death
→
|
| subsequentCitationIn |
U.S. military law decisions
→
international criminal law scholarship → |
| voteSplit |
7–2
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Tomoyuki Yamashita
→
|
legalCase |