Sheppard v. Maxwell | |
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Argued February 28, 1966 Decided June 6, 1966 | |
Full case name | Sheppard v. Maxwell |
Citations | 384 U.S. 333 (more) 86 S.Ct. 1507; 16 L. Ed. 2d 600; 1966 U.S. LEXIS 1413; 1 Med. L. Rptr. 1220 |
Case history | |
Prior | Appeal from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals |
Holding | |
Sheppard did not receive a fair trial due to media interference. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | Clark, joined by Warren, Douglas, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart, White, Fortas |
Dissent | Black |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. I, U.S. Const. amend. VI |
Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966), was a United States Supreme Court case that examined a defendant's right to a fair trial as required by the Sixth Amendment and the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
In particular, the court sought to determine whether or not Sam Sheppard, the defendant, was denied fair trial for the second-degree murder of his wife, of which he was convicted, because of the trial judge's failure to protect him sufficiently from the massive, pervasive, and prejudicial publicity that attended his prosecution.