Whether a man is innocent cannot be determined from a trial in which, as here, denial of counsel has made it impossible to conclude, with any satisfactory degree of certainty, that the defendant's case was adequately presented.

Quote from Justice Black's dissenting opinion, Betts v Brady, 1942-- from Find Law)

Many in the judicial circles regarded the Betts decision of the Supreme Court as "an anachronism" and a departure from the spirit of most of the Court's preceding decisions in similar cases, which ought to be struck down. Justice Black was also now a part of the famous "Warren Court," led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, which was known for expanding civil rights, ending segregation and protecting the fundamental rights of all the citizens of United States, and never missed an opportunity to incorporate the Bill of Rights in State laws. Moreover, the American public opinion had also turned in...
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