Barnes v. United States

In Barnes v. United States (1973) 412 U.S. 837, 843-846 93 S. Ct. 2357, 2362-2363, 37 L. Ed. 2d 380, the United States Supreme Court noted that "for centuries courts have instructed juries that an inference of guilty knowledge may be drawn from the fact of unexplained possession of stolen goods." (Barnes, supra, 412 U.S. at p. 843 93 S. Ct. at p. 2362.) The court in Barnes found that such inference comported with due process if "the evidence necessary to invoke the inference is sufficient for a rational juror to find the inferred fact beyond a reasonable doubt . . . ." (Ibid.)