What does the Sixth Amendment guarantee to defendants?
What is due process?
Read the passage.Many people have appealed to the Supreme Court after being sentenced to death. So far, the Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty does not violate people’s constitutional rights.
Miranda rights are named after Ernesto Miranda, who confessed to a crime while being questioned by the police. Why did the US Supreme Court decide that Miranda’s constitutional rights had been violated?
In a movie about a fictional case, the judge says to the accused, "I set your bail at one hundred million dollars.” Which amendment would prevent a real judge from making this decision?
Read the scenario.A restaurant worker decides to take her employer to civil court. She has not been paid the wages that she agreed to when taking the job.
Read this summary of the Klopfer v. North Carolina Supreme Court case.The state of North Carolina charged Peter Klopfer with trespass for participating in a civil rights protest at a restaurant. The jury could not agree on a verdict, which meant another trial would be held. Rather than retry Klopfer immediately, the prosecutor used a legal tactic that allowed him to keep the charge open, but put off another trial indefinitely. This meant that Klopfer would have an unresolved criminal charge hanging over his head. Klopfer objected, and the case made its way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in Klopfer’s favor on Sixth Amendment grounds.
What does the Eighth Amendment protect people from?
Read this summary of the Gideon v. Wainwright Supreme Court case.A Florida man named Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with breaking into other people’s property. He appeared in state court and explained that he could not afford a lawyer. The court did not appoint him a lawyer, so Gideon had to represent himself. He was convicted of the crime. Gideon appealed his conviction on the grounds that the court had denied him the right to a lawyer. The Supreme Court agreed and overturned the conviction.
Bryan Stevenson and other attorneys fight against the use of the death penalty. Which amendment could they use to support their argument?
What scenario might cause the Supreme Court to rule that a person’s Seventh Amendment rights were violated?
Read the scenario.A jury rules that a defendant is not guilty of robbing a bank. This means the defendant is free to leave and can be released. A few days later, a detective finds video evidence that could prove that the defendant actually did commit the crime.
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