Sheppard v. Maxwell

Case Name: Sheppard v. Maxwell 

Year: 1966

Result: 8-1, favor Sheppard

Related Constitutional Issue/Amendment: Amendment V, Amendment VI, Due Process

Civil Rights or Civil Liberties: Civil Liberties

Significance/Precedent: The public's freedom of speech could obstruct a trial and cause it to be unfair and unconstitutional. Because Sheppard was so covered on the news and in the media, the jurors were biased and his trial did not follow due process. 

Quote from Majority Opinion: "Due process requires that the accused receive a trial by an impartial jury free from outside influences. Given the pervasiveness of modern communications and the difficulty of effacing prejudicial publicity from the minds of the jurors, the trial courts must take strong measures to ensure that the balance is never weighed against the accused."

Summary of the Dissent: There was no dissent. 

Six-word Summary: The media can corrupt court trials