"The right to be heard would be, in many cases, of little avail if it did not comprehend the right to be heard by counsel. Even the intelligent and educated layman has small and sometimes no skill in the science of law. If charged with crime, he is incapable, generally, of determining for himself whether the indictment is good or bad. He is unfamiliar with the rules of evidence. Left without the aid of counsel he may be put on trial without a proper charge, and convicted upon incompetent evidence, or evidence irrelevant to the issue or otherwise inadmissible. He lacks both the skill and knowledge adequately to prepare his defense, even though he have a perfect one. He requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence. If that be true of men of intelligence, how much more true is it of the ignorant and illiterate, or those of feeble intellect."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United StatesMembers of the United States SenateRepublican Party (United States) politicians
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 53 (1932)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Sutherland
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
George Sutherland
Alexander George Sutherland (March 25, 1862 – July 18, 1942) was an English-born U.S. jurist and politician. One of four appointments to the Supreme Court by President Warren G. Harding, he served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court between 1922 and 1938.
10 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by George Sutherland →
Related Quotes
"The liberty of the individual to do as he pleases, even in innocent matters, is not absolute. It must frequently yiel…"
"A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard."
"If the provisions of the Constitution be not upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort, they may as well be…"
"The legal right of a taxpayer to decrease the amount of what otherwise would be his taxes, or altogether avoid them, …"
"Do the people of this land—in the providence of God, favored, as they sometimes boast, above all others in the plenit…"
"It is impossible to concede that, by the words "freedom of the press," the framers of the amendment intended to adopt…"
"Since informed public opinion is the most potent of all restraints upon misgovernment, the suppression or abridgement…"
"The tax here involved is bad not because it takes money from the pockets of the appellees. If that were all, a wholly…"
"A free press stands as one of the great interpreters between the government and the people. To allow it to be fettere…"
"Individual rights have been recognized by our jurisprudence only after long and costly struggles. They should not be …"