Powell v. Alabama

Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 1932 was a United States Supreme Court decision which decided that in a capital trial court the defendant must be designated counsel if the judge feels that the accused is incapable of leading his own defense.

Background

The case stems from a crime that occured in 1931. Nine African Americans, Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell', Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Haywood Patterson, Andy and Roy Wright, Eugene Williams, were accused of raping two white women in a freight car while passing through the state of Alabama. The group was commonly known as Scottsborough Boys. All of them, but Roy Wright, were sentenced to death in a one day trial. The ruling was appealed on the grounds that group was not provided adequate legal counsel. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled 6-to-1 that the trial was fair and it was appealed to the Supreme Court (the strongly dissenting opinion was from the Chief Justice Anderson).

Justices

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