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Criminal Procedure Keyed to Dressler
Powell v. Alabama
Citation:
287 U.S. 45, 53 S.Ct. 55, 77 L.Ed. 158.Facts
The defendants were young black men charged with the crime of raping two white girls. They were illiterate, youthful, and did not have friends or family in the state. They were not appointed counsel during arraignment or in preparation for trial. On the day of their trials, a lawyer from Tennessee volunteered to represent them. He did not have time to prepare the case nor was he familiar with the procedure in Alabama. A member of the local bar expressed a willingness to help him and the trials commenced immediately. Their trials lasted for one day and they were all found guilty and sentenced to death.
They appealed, arguing that their due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment were violated.
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