Speedy Trial
Definition of Speedy Trial
Note: See a more comprehensive approach to the Speedy Trial legal concept in the American Law Encyclopedia
A Sixth Amendment safeguard that entitles a criminal defendant to a timely and public trial. Speedy trial is intended to keep an accused from protected pretrial detention, and it protects against the diminution of a criminal defendant's ability to offer a defense. Speedy trial also ensures that the prosecutor's case will not erode because of delay, thus forming a two-edged constitutional sword. The speedy trial protection begins at the time a person is formally accused unless pre-charging delays aimed at gaining prosecutorial advantage occur. The speedy trial provision of the federal Constitution was made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment in Klopfer v. North Carolina (386 U.S. 213: 1967).
Resources
Speedy Trial Related Resources
- Speedy Trial in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
- Criminal Judicial Process Keywords in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
- Criminal Process Keywords in the International Legal Dictionary
Notes
- “Speedy Trial”, The American Law Dictionary, 1991, California
Leave a Reply