Scott v. Illinois
| Scott v. Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Argued December 4, 1978 Decided March 5, 1979 | |
| Full case name | Scott v. Illinois |
| Citations | 440 U.S. 367 (more) 99 S. Ct. 1158; 59 L. Ed. 2d 383; 1979 U.S. LEXIS 3 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Original action filed in U.S. Supreme Court; order to show cause why writ of mandamus should not issue, December, 1801 |
| Subsequent | None |
| Holding | |
| A person may be imprisoned only if given the opportunity to be represented by counsel. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Rehnquist, joined by Burger, Stewart, White, Powell |
| Concurrence | Powell |
| Dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall, Stevens |
| Dissent | Blackmun |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. VI, XIV | |
Scott v. Illinois, 440 U.S. 367 (1979), was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. In Scott, the Court decided whether the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments required Illinois to provide Scott with trial counsel. To emphasize the importance of court-appointed counsel, the Court opined, "[T]he interest protected by the right to have guilt or innocence determined by a jury... while important, is not as fundamental to the guarantee of a fair trial as is the right to counsel."