Cite as: 507 U. S. 725 (1993)
Opinion of the Court
like, may have had some effect upon the decision of one or more jurors." Ibid. (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted).
Finally, in a footnote, the court decided that "[b]ecause the violation is inherently prejudicial and because it infringes upon a substantial right of the defendants, it falls within the plain error doctrine." Id., at 1439, n. 23.
The Court of Appeals vacated respondents' remaining convictions and did not reach the other "substantial issues" that they had raised. Id., at 1428, n. 3. We granted certiorari to clarify the standard for "plain error" review by the courts of appeals under Rule 52(b). 504 U. S. 908 (1992).
II
"No procedural principle is more familiar to this Court than that a constitutional right," or a right of any other sort, "may be forfeited in criminal as well as civil cases by the failure to make timely assertion of the right before a tribunal having jurisdiction to determine it." Yakus v. United States, 321 U. S. 414, 444 (1944). Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52(b), which governs on appeal from criminal proceedings, provides a court of appeals a limited power to correct errors that were forfeited because not timely raised in district court. The Rule has remained unchanged since the original version of the Criminal Rules, and was intended as "a restatement of existing law." Advisory Committee's Notes on Fed. Rule Crim. Proc. 52, 18 U. S. C. App., p. 833. It is paired, appropriately, with Rule 52(a), which governs nonforfeited errors. Rule 52 provides:
"(a) Harmless Error. Any error, defect, irregularity or variance which does not affect substantial rights shall be disregarded.
"(b) Plain Error. Plain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they were not brought to the attention of the court."
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