Rights to a Speedy Trial and Impartial Jury

The Sixth Amendment does not only give every person charged with a criminal offense the right to an attorney; it also gives them the right to have a speedy trial from an impartial jury. This means that the trial must proceed within a reasonable time frame, and it cannot take an unreasonable amount of time for the trial to begin following the arrest. In addition, the jury selection must ensure that each member of the jury does not have a significant bias towards the issue which may impact the fairness of the trial.

Speedy Trial

A speedy trial is one that begins soon after the defendant is arrested for an alleged crime. In most states, each crime has a pre-determined amount of time in which a defendant must be brought to trial after the time of arrest. However, what is considered a ‘reasonable’ amount of time is often based upon the circumstances of each case because sometimes there are acceptable excuses for delays in the criminal process. If a defendant has their trial delayed for an unreasonable amount of time, the court may choose to completely dismiss the case.

Impartial Jury

A jury is a random selection of people from the community; their job is to weigh the evidence at trial and decide whether there is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. In many states the jury must come to a unanimous decision of guilt or there will be a mistrial at which time the judge will decide whether to bring the case back to court or dismiss it completely. The jury selection process and the steps that the jury must take in order to determine the defendant’s guilt are designed to make sure that they remain impartial and reach a fair verdict.