speedy trial
Prompt court proceeding
A speedy trial is a trial held without unreasonable delay after charges are filed.
The concept is enshrined in the Sixth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, protecting defendants from languishing in jail or living under accusation indefinitely.
What counts as speedy depends on jurisdiction and circumstances: The defense moved to dismiss, arguing the two-year delay violated his right to a speedy trial.
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- bail hearingCourt date setting release conditions
- constitutional rightsLegally protected individual freedoms
- Sixth AmendmentConstitutional trial protections
habeas corpus · judge · continuance · case · court docket · swift justice · jury selection · time limits · presumption of innocence · criminal defendant · plea bargain · court calendar · sentencing phase · cross-examination · legal representation · law · case management · equal protection
- criminal justicearrest, jail, court, prison, crime
- rightscivil liberties, constitutional rights, right, rights, human rights
- trialsretrial, mistrial, dry run, practice test, pilot test
- criminal lawcrime, felony, misdemeanor, murder, robbery
- ConstitutionBill of Rights, preamble, articles, U.S. Constitution, Article I
- Criminal Procedurearraignment, arrest, grand jury, investigation, guilty plea