ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Giglio v. United States

Giglio v. United States is a court case that involves a person who works for the government and is accused of doing something wrong.

Let's pretend that your friend, Johnny, works for the government as a police officer. One day, Johnny is accused of stealing money from a suspect during an arrest. This is not okay, and Johnny's boss decides to investigate.

During the investigation, Johnny's boss finds out that Johnny lied about what happened during the arrest. This makes it hard for other people to trust Johnny and means that he may not be a reliable witness in future court cases.

In the court case of Giglio v. United States, the accused person was a witness in a different court case. However, it was found out that they had lied in the past about something important. This meant that they may not be a truthful witness in the future, so their testimony was not as reliable.

In the end, the court case established that in situations like this, the government must inform the defense about any information that could make the witness less trustworthy. This helps make sure that everyone is treated fairly in the court system.