Commonwealth v. Graves, 461 Pa. 118 (1975), is a case in which the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recognized that intoxication is a defense to specific intent crimes where it establishes a reasonable doubt that the defendant had the necessary intent to commit the crime. The decision was largely made ineffective the year after it was decided, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly changed the law to limit the defense to charges of murder.
| Commonwealth v. Graves | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | Supreme Court of Pennsylvania |
| Full case name | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Daniel Lee Graves, appellant |
| Argued | January 10, 1974 |
| Decided | March 18, 1975 |
| Citations | 461 Pa. 118 334 A.2d 661 |
| Court membership | |
| Chief judge | Benjamin R. Jones |
| Associate judges | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Nix, joined by Roberts, Pomeroy, Mandarino |
| Dissent | Eagen, joined by Jones, O'Brien |
| Laws applied | |
This case overturned a previous ruling | |
| Commonwealth v. Tarver (1971) | |
References and further reading
edit- "Criminal law – Pennsylvania's intoxication defense to specific intent crimes explained – Commonwealth v. Graves". Dickinson Law Review. 80 (3): 640–652. 1975–1976. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- Farrell, Christopher F. (1975). "Negating specific intent – the need for judicial consistency: An analysis of Commonwealth v. Graves". University of Pittsburgh Law Review. 37 (2): 285–296. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- Murphy, Arthur A. (1977). "Has Pennsylvania found a satisfactory intoxication defense". Dickinson Law Review. 81 (2): 199–216. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
External links
edit- Text of Commonwealth v. Graves, 461 Pa. 118 is available from: Google Scholar
 | This case law article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |