| Citation: | 372 U.S. 353 (1963) |
|---|---|
| Court: | SCOTUS |
| Date decided: | Mar 18, 1963 |
| Longer case name: | William DOUGLAS and Bennie Will Meyes, Petitioners, v. The PEOPLE OF the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. |
| Law type: | Criminal |
| Jurisdiction level: | Federal |
| State of origin: | California |
| Topic(s): | Equal protection and Right to counsel: Criminal |
| Lists: | Important cases |
| Result: | Win |
| Attorneys: | Marvin M. Mitchelson and Burton Marks, Beverly Hills, Cal., for petitioners. |
| Others involved: | |
| More info: |
Case Importance
The case is famous for requiring that counsel be appointed to indigent defendants on appeal in state court if state law permits an appeal as a matter of right.Case Details
(The syllabus is not part of the opinion, but is a summary prepared by the court reporter as a convenience.)Syllabus
In a California State court, petitioners were tried jointly, convicted of 13 felonies, and sentenced to imprisonment. Exercising their only right to appeal as of right, they appealed to an intermediate Court of Appeals, and, being indigent, applied to it for appointment of counsel to assist them on appeal. In accordance with a state rule of criminal procedure, that court made an ex parte examination of the record, determined that appointment of counsel for petitioners would not be “of advantage to the defendant or helpful to the appellate court,” and denied appointment of counsel. Their appeal was heard without assistance of counsel, and their convictions were affirmed. The State Supreme Court denied a discretionary review.
Held: Where the merits of the one and only appeal an indigent has as of right were decided without benefit of counsel in a state criminal case, there has been a discrimination between the rich and the poor which violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Pp. 372 U. S. 353-358.
187 Cal. App. 2d 802, 10 Cal. Rptr. 188, judgment vacated and cause remanded.
INTERNAL USE ONLY:
Last modified: 2022-12-27 12:46
Case internal grade: A | Case internal status: OK |
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