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<case id="50756" source="Oyez API" schema="simple-legal-case-xml-v1"><name>Barker v. Wingo</name><docketNumber>71-5255</docketNumber><term>1971</term><court><name>Burger Court (1972-1975)</name><identifier>burger4</identifier><href>https://api.oyez.org/courts/burger4</href></court><parties><firstParty role="Petitioner">Willie Mae Barker</firstParty><secondParty role="Respondent">John W. Wingo, Warden</secondParty></parties><dates><date type="argued">1972-04-11</date><date type="decided">1972-06-22</date><date type="granted">1972-01-17</date></dates><citation><volume>407</volume><page>514</page><year>1972</year><href>https://api.oyez.org/case_citation/case_citation/14684</href><justia_url>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/407/514/</justia_url></citation><jurisdiction>Writ of <i>certiorari</i></jurisdiction><facts><html><p>On July 20, 1958, intruders beat an elderly couple to death in Christian County, Kentucky. Shortly afterward, police arrested Silas Manning and Willie Barker for the crime. Both were indicted on September 15 and assigned counsel on September 17. Barker’s trial was scheduled to begin on September 21, but the state believed it had a stronger case against Manning and that Manning’s testimony would be essential to convict Barker. The state obtained a series of continuances on Barker’s trial, as Manning was tried five times and finally convicted in 1962. Beginning in June 1959, Barker was out of prison on bail, and did not contest the continuances. Barker’s trial was set for March 19, 1963, and when the state requested further continuances, Barker unsuccessfully objected. At his trial beginning on October 9, 1963, Barker was convicted.</p>
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<p>The Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction. Barker sought habeas corpus relief in district court, by arguing that the long trial delay violated his right to a speedy trial, which the district court denied. The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court. </p>
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</html><text>On July 20, 1958, intruders beat an elderly couple to death in Christian County, Kentucky. Shortly afterward, police arrested Silas Manning and Willie Barker for the crime. Both were indicted on September 15 and assigned counsel on September 17. Barker’s trial was scheduled to begin on September 21, but the state believed it had a stronger case against Manning and that Manning’s testimony would be essential to convict Barker. The state obtained a series of continuances on Barker’s trial, as Manning was tried five times and finally convicted in 1962. Beginning in June 1959, Barker was out of prison on bail, and did not contest the continuances. Barker’s trial was set for March 19, 1963, and when the state requested further continuances, Barker unsuccessfully objected. At his trial beginning on October 9, 1963, Barker was convicted.
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The Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction. Barker sought habeas corpus relief in district court, by arguing that the long trial delay violated his right to a speedy trial, which the district court denied. The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court.</text></facts><questions /><conclusion><html><p>Yes. Justice Lewis F. Powell delivered the unanimous opinion. The Court held that the right to a speedy trial differs from other constitutionally guaranteed rights because it is often more in the interest of society and the justice system as a whole than it is in the interest of the accused. Additionally, there is no way to create a firm distinction between what is and is not a speedy trial, since the circumstances surrounding each trial are unique. The Court held that the consideration of whether a defendant was denied a speedy trial should be based on the length of the delay, the reason for it, the defendant’s assertion of the right, and prejudice towards the defendant. The Court held that, while the delay was long, Barker faced negligible prejudice and did not want a speedy trial, as evidenced by the many continuances that went uncontested.</p>
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<p>In his concurring opinion, Justice Byron R. White described the many reasons that a speedy trial is essential to prevent an unconstitutional infringement on the liberty of the defendant. He argued that the right could not be compromised by a state’s backlog of cases and limited resources. Given the facts of this case, however, he agreed that Barker acquiesced to the delays without state pressure. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. joined in the concurrence.</p>
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</html><text>Yes. Justice Lewis F. Powell delivered the unanimous opinion. The Court held that the right to a speedy trial differs from other constitutionally guaranteed rights because it is often more in the interest of society and the justice system as a whole than it is in the interest of the accused. Additionally, there is no way to create a firm distinction between what is and is not a speedy trial, since the circumstances surrounding each trial are unique. The Court held that the consideration of whether a defendant was denied a speedy trial should be based on the length of the delay, the reason for it, the defendant’s assertion of the right, and prejudice towards the defendant. The Court held that, while the delay was long, Barker faced negligible prejudice and did not want a speedy trial, as evidenced by the many continuances that went uncontested.
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In his concurring opinion, Justice Byron R. White described the many reasons that a speedy trial is essential to prevent an unconstitutional infringement on the liberty of the defendant. He argued that the right could not be compromised by a state’s backlog of cases and limited resources. Given the facts of this case, however, he agreed that Barker acquiesced to the delays without state pressure. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. joined in the concurrence.</text></conclusion><advocates><advocate for="pro hac vice, for the petitioner"><name>James E. Milliman</name><href>https://api.oyez.org/people/james_e_milliman</href></advocate><advocate for="pro hac vice for the respondent"><name>Robert W. Willmott, Jr.</name><href>https://api.oyez.org/people/robert_w_willmott_jr</href></advocate></advocates><decisions><decision type="majority opinion" winning_party=""><description /><votes majority="9" minority=""><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="2"><justice>William O. Douglas</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/william_o_douglas</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="4"><justice>Potter Stewart</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/potter_stewart</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="6"><justice>Thurgood Marshall</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/thurgood_marshall</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="3"><justice>William J. Brennan, Jr.</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/william_j_brennan_jr</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="concurrence" vote="majority" seniority="5"><justice>Byron R. White</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/byron_r_white</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="1"><justice>Warren E. Burger</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/warren_e_burger</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="7"><justice>Harry A. Blackmun</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/harry_a_blackmun</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="majority" vote="majority" seniority="8"><justice>Lewis F. Powell, Jr.</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/lewis_f_powell_jr</justice_href></vote><vote opinion_type="none" vote="majority" seniority="9"><justice>William H. Rehnquist</justice><justice_href>https://api.oyez.org/people/william_h_rehnquist</justice_href></vote></votes></decision></decisions><source><href>https://api.oyez.org/cases/1971/71-5255</href><raw_file>D:\PyCharm Community Edition 2024.3.1.1\PythonProject\IBM Z Datathon\json_data\api.oyez.org_cases_1971_71-5255.json</raw_file></source></case> |
