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Supreme Court Case Betts v. Brady
10
Catch Phrase
The Fourteenth Amendment does not guarantee a lawyer, just the right to a fair trial.
Fact Summary
How This Relates to the Constitution
The petitioner, Betts was accused of robbery in Maryland. He could not afford an attorney so he requested the Court appoint him one. The court informed Betts that it was not practice of the Court to appoint him an attorney except in prosecutions for murder and rape.
This relates to the Constitution because Amendment 6 states the right to a lawyer. It also relates to the Constitution in Amendment 14 the due process clause which refers to fair procedures.
Issue
The Opinion
The Court ruled that the fourteenth amendment does not force states to provide counsel to any defendant. Justice Owen Roberts' opinion decided that the right to counsel merely prevented the state from interfering in a defendant's request for representation rather than requiring a state to offer counsel.
-Was the Judge's decision the correct one?
-Whether Betts had exhausted all state remedies in state court.
-Whether the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution demands that in every criminal case, the State must provide a lawyer or only with rape and murder cases.
The Decision
The decision was decided 6-3 for Brady on June 1, 1942 after being granted February 16, 1942 and argued on April 13-14, 1942.