United States v. Hickey was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a defendant could be convicted of a crime if the indictment was not found until after the statute of limitations had expired. The defendant, Hickey, was indicted for a crime that had occurred more than three years prior to the indictment. The Supreme Court held that the indictment was valid and that the defendant could be convicted of the crime. The Court reasoned that the statute of limitations was not a bar to prosecution, but rather a defense that the defendant could raise at trial. The Court noted that the statute of limitations was intended to protect defendants from stale prosecutions, but that it did not prevent the government from bringing a prosecution if the indictment was found before the statute of limitations had expired. The Court also noted that the defendant had not been prejudiced by the delay in the indictment, as he had not been in custody or otherwise hindered in his ability to defend himself. Ultimately, the Court held that the indictment was valid and that the defendant could be convicted of the crime. The Court noted that the statute of limitations was intended to protect defendants from stale prosecutions, but that it did not prevent the government from bringing a prosecution if the indictment was found before the statute of limitations had expired.

In United States v. Hickey, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a defendant could be convicted of murder when they had not directly caused the death of their victim. The majority opinion held that such convictions were permissible under certain circumstances, but Justice Field dissented from this view and argued that it was an overly broad interpretation of criminal law. He believed that only those who actually killed or aided in killing another person should be found guilty of murder; any other interpretation would lead to unjust results where innocent people are punished for acts they did not commit. Furthermore, he noted that Congress had never intended to punish individuals in such a manner and thus there should be no conviction unless direct causation is established beyond reasonable doubt.