sheppard v. maxwell
Case name: Samuel H. Sheppard v. E.L. Maxwell, Warden
Year decided: 1966
Result: 8-1, in favor of Sheppard
Related constitutional issue/amendment: Sixth Amendment (right to fair trial)
Civil rights or civil liberties: civil liberties
Significance/precedent: The Court found that Sheppard did not receive a fair trial. The media's repeated airings of Sheppard's confession and the press's blatantly biased coverage of Sheppard's trial and the courtroom setting that allowed association between the persecution and the press all contributed to tilting the jurors against Sheppard. While the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press should be allowed a significant amount of autonomy, largely unrestricted from harsh regulations, the press should not divert the trial from its main purpose, which is to judge civil and criminal matters in an objective, fair courtroom.
Quote from majority opinion: "The courts must take such steps by rule and regulation that will protect their processes from prejudicial outside interferences...Collaboration between counsel and the press as to information affecting the fairness of a criminal trial is not only subject to regulation, but is highly censurable and worthy of disciplinary measures.Since the state trial judge did not fulfill his duty to protect Sheppard from the inherently prejudicial publicity which saturated the community and to control disruptive influences in the courtroom, we must reverse the denial of the habeas petition."
Summary of the dissent: Justice Black dissented but never filed an opinion.
Six-word summary: Media carnival means no fair trial.
Year decided: 1966
Result: 8-1, in favor of Sheppard
Related constitutional issue/amendment: Sixth Amendment (right to fair trial)
Civil rights or civil liberties: civil liberties
Significance/precedent: The Court found that Sheppard did not receive a fair trial. The media's repeated airings of Sheppard's confession and the press's blatantly biased coverage of Sheppard's trial and the courtroom setting that allowed association between the persecution and the press all contributed to tilting the jurors against Sheppard. While the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press should be allowed a significant amount of autonomy, largely unrestricted from harsh regulations, the press should not divert the trial from its main purpose, which is to judge civil and criminal matters in an objective, fair courtroom.
Quote from majority opinion: "The courts must take such steps by rule and regulation that will protect their processes from prejudicial outside interferences...Collaboration between counsel and the press as to information affecting the fairness of a criminal trial is not only subject to regulation, but is highly censurable and worthy of disciplinary measures.Since the state trial judge did not fulfill his duty to protect Sheppard from the inherently prejudicial publicity which saturated the community and to control disruptive influences in the courtroom, we must reverse the denial of the habeas petition."
Summary of the dissent: Justice Black dissented but never filed an opinion.
Six-word summary: Media carnival means no fair trial.