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Summary Of The Powell V. Alabama Case

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Powell v. Alabama is a landmark case that addressed the right to counsel for defendants in criminal cases. The case came from the conviction of nine African American kids who were accused of sexually assaulting two white women on a train in Alabama in 1931. The nine kids were tried and convicted in a rushed trial that barley lasted a few hours, in which they were not provided with a legal counsel and were subject to intimidation and threats from the prosecution and the people outside the courthouse. The case raised important questions about the rights of criminal defendants to due process, legal counsel, and equal protection under the law. The ruling in the Powell v. Alabama case established the principle that even criminals are …show more content…

Alabama (1932) is Gideon v. Wainwright (1963). This case built on the example established in Powell v. Alabama and further clarified the right to legal counsel for criminal defendants. In Gideon v. Wainwright, Florida charged Gideon with breaking and entering, but refused him counsel because Florida only provided free lawyers for those charged with capital offenses. The Supreme Court ruled that all defendants in a criminal case have the right to a legal counsel, regardless of their ability to pay. This ruling helped to ensure that defendants are able to arrange an effective defense in court and highlighted the importance of equal access to …show more content…

Massachusetts case which is a Supreme Court case that was decided in 2017 and I believe is similar to Powell v Alabama. The case involved a teenager named Kentel Myrone Weaver, who was tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder for a shooting in Massachusetts. During the trial, the judge closed the courtroom to the public, when ended up including Weaver's family members, in order to maintain order and protect the witnesses. However, Weaver’s lawyers argued that the closure of the courtroom violated his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial, which is intended to ensure fairness and transparency in criminal cases. They also argued that the closure was not justified by any compelling need and that the judge failed to consider less restrictive alternatives. According to (Barnett-Mayotte, C. 2022) “… an argument that trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to object to racially discriminatory jury selection…” (pg.3). The ruling in Weaver v. Massachusetts was important for criminal defendants and it serves as a reminder that the Sixth Amendment is fundamental especially for criminal

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