Jackson County Juvenile Office Missouri Cases

C.A.R.A., a juvenile, was found by the Jackson County circuit court to have committed acts constituting first-degree statutory sodomy. C.A.R.A. appealed, asserting that the circuit court violated their constitutional right to confrontation by allowing witness testimony via two-way live video during the adjudication hearing. The Missouri Supreme Court vacated the circuit court's judgment and remanded the case, holding that the circuit court failed to make the required witness-specific findings for remote testimony under both Maryland v. Craig (for child victims) and Crawford v. Washington (for adult witnesses), and also misapplied the Supreme Court's COVID-19 operational directives.

J.A.T., a juvenile, appealed the circuit court's finding that he committed acts constituting first-degree assault and armed criminal action. J.A.T. argued that requiring his participation in the adjudication hearing via two-way video violated his constitutional due process and confrontation rights. The Missouri Supreme Court vacated the circuit court's judgment and remanded the case, holding that the circuit court erred by denying J.A.T.'s due process right to be physically present at the critical stage of his adjudication hearing.