In the 1924 case of Weller v. People of State of New York, the U.S Supreme Court upheld a conviction for first-degree murder against Charles Weller. The defendant was accused and convicted in a lower court for killing his wife by poisoning her with arsenic. His appeal to the Supreme Court argued that there were errors made during his trial which violated his constitutional rights, including improper admission of evidence and instructions given to the jury about reasonable doubt. However, after reviewing these claims, the Supreme Court found no substantial error that would justify overturning or modifying Weller's conviction and sentence as determined by state courts under their laws and procedures.

The dissenting opinion in Weller v. People of State of New York argued that the defendant's constitutional rights were violated due to an improper jury selection process. The justice believed that the trial court erred by allowing a juror, who had expressed bias against the defendant, to serve on the jury panel. This was seen as a violation of the Sixth Amendment which guarantees defendants a fair and impartial trial by jury. Furthermore, it was pointed out that this error could not be considered harmless since it potentially influenced all aspects of deliberation and verdict determination in favor of conviction rather than acquittal. Therefore, they contended for reversal and remand for new trial with proper adherence to constitutionally mandated standards for juror impartiality.