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waived, the assistance of counsel is no longer a necessary element of the court's jurisdiction to proceed to conviction and sentence. If the accused, however, is not represented by counsel and has not competently and intelligently waived his constitutional right, the Sixth
Amendment stands as a jurisdictional bar to a valid conviction and sentence depriving him of his life or his liberty.
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This set the precedent that defendants have the right to be represented by an attorney unless they waive their right to counsel knowing full well the potential consequences. This precedent, however, only made this right applicable to federal defendants and did not extend to defendants in trials under
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Since the Sixth
Amendment constitutionally entitles one charged with crime to the assistance of counsel, compliance with this constitutional mandate is an essential jurisdictional prerequisite to a federal court's authority to deprive an accused of his life or liberty. When this right is properly
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agreed to hear the case and overturned the decisions of the lower courts. In a six to two decision, the Court held that the federal court had infringed upon
Johnson's life and liberty by not giving him counsel to defend him during trial. In the majority opinion written by Justice
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Since the Sixth
Amendment constitutionally entitles one charged with crime to the assistance of counsel, compliance with this constitutional mandate is an essential jurisdictional prerequisite to a federal court's authority to deprive an accused of his life or
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state jurisdiction. Assistance of counsel was held to be requisite to due process of law in state felony proceedings with the
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in a trial where he had not been represented by an attorney but instead by himself. Johnson filed for
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Johnson v. Zerbst, Warden, United States
Penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga.
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Cardozo took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
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United States Sixth
Amendment appointment of counsel case law
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United States
Supreme Court cases of the Hughes Court
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List of United States
Supreme Court cases, volume 304
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1821:Martinez v. Court of Appeal of California
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18:1938 United States Supreme Court case
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920:Southern Union Co. v. United States
1401:United States v. Valenzuela-Bernal
832:Almendarez-Torres v. United States
682:Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas
36:Supreme Court of the United States
14:
1865:United States Supreme Court cases
1348:Restrictions on cross-examination
438:458 (1938) is available from:
412:
29:
1449:United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez
1875:1938 in United States case law
1262:Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts
765:Rosales-Lopez v. United States
1:
536:United States Sixth Amendment
242:, 304 U.S. 458 (1938), was a
1430:Assistance of Counsel Clause
979:Rassmussen v. United States
279:United States Supreme Court
244:United States Supreme Court
1891:
1329:Face-to-face confrontation
1099:Peña-Rodriguez v. Colorado
797:McDonnell v. United States
254:relief, claiming that his
1436:
1423:
1387:
1381:Compulsory Process Clause
1374:
1174:Reynolds v. United States
1161:
1148:
1128:
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952:Erlinger v. United States
805:United States v. Tsarnaev
789:Skilling v. United States
701:Reynolds v. United States
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614:
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562:Klopfer v. North Carolina
556:
543:
362: (5th Cir. 1937).
273:Supreme Court involvement
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1767:Massiah v. United States
1596:Strickland v. Washington
1575:Glasser v. United States
1548:Nichols v. United States
1278:Bullcoming v. New Mexico
1182:Dowdell v. United States
944:United States v. Haymond
928:Alleyne v. United States
904:Cunningham v. California
709:Glasser v. United States
578:Doggett v. United States
1636:Glover v. United States
1356:Chambers v. Mississippi
1198:Bruton v. United States
1166:Out-of-court statements
1083:Tanner v. United States
1075:Impeachment of verdicts
1056:Burton v. United States
1048:United States v. Dawson
888:United States v. Booker
856:Harris v. United States
733:Witherspoon v. Illinois
286:, the Court held that,
1759:Uncounseled statements
1587:Ineffective assistance
1540:Pennsylvania v. Finley
1310:Samia v. United States
1230:Crawford v. Washington
1064:Smith v. United States
896:Washington v. Recuenco
848:Apprendi v. New Jersey
840:Jones v. United States
666:Cheff v. Schnackenberg
293:
263:federal district court
1797:Faretta v. California
1652:Woodford v. Visciotti
1612:Kimmelman v. Morrison
1516:Argersinger v. Hamlin
872:Blakely v. Washington
741:Ham v. South Carolina
648:Impartial Jury Clause
374:, 304 U.S. at 467-68.
288:
1676:Wright v. Van Patten
1620:Lockhart v. Fretwell
1508:Anders v. California
1500:Gideon v. Wainwright
1302:Hemphill v. New York
1286:Williams v. Illinois
1155:Confrontation Clause
880:Schriro v. Summerlin
586:Betterman v. Montana
385:Gideon v. Wainwright
299:Gideon v. Wainwright
45:Decided May 23, 1938
43:Argued April 4, 1938
1805:McKaskle v. Wiggins
1708:Padilla v. Kentucky
1524:Gagnon v. Scarpelli
1492:Hamilton v. Alabama
1393:Washington v. Texas
1254:Giles v. California
1246:Whorton v. Bockting
1238:Davis v. Washington
987:Williams v. Florida
725:Sheppard v. Maxwell
674:Duncan v. Louisiana
550:Speedy Trial Clause
488:Library of Congress
360:92 F.2d 748
174:Benjamin N. Cardozo
142:James C. McReynolds
78:58 S. Ct. 1019; 82
1829:Indiana v. Edwards
1775:Brewer v. Williams
1700:Porter v. McCollum
1668:Holland v. Jackson
1628:Williams v. Taylor
1556:Alabama v. Shelton
1409:Taylor v. Illinois
1270:Michigan v. Bryant
1134:Rabe v. Washington
1123:Information Clause
1019:Ramos v. Louisiana
1011:Burch v. Louisiana
963:Size and unanimity
781:Morgan v. Illinois
773:Wainwright v. Witt
628:Presley v. Georgia
302:decision in 1963.
138:Associate Justices
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1692:Wong v. Belmontes
1684:Bobby v. Van Hook
1532:Scott v. Illinois
1476:Johnson v. Zerbst
1468:Powell v. Alabama
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1337:Maryland v. Craig
1214:Illinois v. Allen
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1091:Warger v. Shauers
1027:Edwards v. Vannoy
1003:Ballew v. Georgia
995:Apodaca v. Oregon
824:Walton v. Arizona
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428:Johnson v. Zerbst
420:Johnson v. Zerbst
417:Works related to
355:Johnson v. Zerbst
331:Johnson v. Zerbst
248:counterfeit money
239:Johnson v. Zerbst
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134:Charles E. Hughes
24:Johnson v. Zerbst
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1813:Rock v. Arkansas
1732:Lafler v. Cooper
1660:Wiggins v. Smith
1604:Nix v. Whiteside
1438:
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1376:
1318:Smith v. Arizona
1190:Pointer v. Texas
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936:Hurst v. Florida
749:Ristaino v. Ross
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