You Have the Right to an Attorney
Understanding your rights is essential to fighting any criminal accusations. The Bill of Rights are the first ten Amendments to the Constitution created. These rights provide constitutional protection to United States citizens, listing specific prohibitions of governmental power. Along with the right to a reasonable search and freedom of religion, you also have the right to an attorney. Let us look at this amendment in further detail.
The Sixth Amendment
Many people are only familiar with a line or two of what rights this impressive document grants as a whole. Going through each line one-by-one is beyond the scope of this article, so the focus here will remain on the Sixth Amendment. There is a significant amount more to the Sixth Amendment than just the right to legal representation. In its entirety, the amendment says:
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.”
In Detail
Delving further into detail, the Sixth Amendment is primarily responsible for the processes we experience today. Upon violation of your rights, those responsible remain accountable. For instance:
- Speedy Trial: If a speedy trial is delayed, factors investigated include the length of the delay, the reason for the delay, the assertion of rights by the defendant, and the degree to which the delay affected the defendant.
- Public Trial: In certain circumstances, denial of a public hearing may occur, but these cases are rare. If allowing public admittance would undermine the rights of the defendant, it is in the best interest of the accused for cases to remain private.
- Attorney: You have the right to a lawyer. Therefore, you do not need to answer any questions without your attorney present. If you cannot afford an attorney, you can choose to have representation assigned to you. These lawyers are often overworked and have a large number of cases to represent. While they are certainly better than no representation, if you have the option, hiring your attorney is always advised.
Choosing Your Attorney
When choosing an attorney, you will want to choose someone with plenty of experience representing clients with situations similar to yours. You will also want someone who has a long-standing reputation for prompt customer service and aggressive tactics when necessary in the courtroom. If you are looking for a Maywood, IL criminal defense attorney who will aggressively fight for you to keep your rights, contact Stringini & Garvey, P.C. today by calling 630-834-9595. We utilize over 65 years of experience to defend our clients in Addison, Glendale Heights, Lombard, Bloomingdale, and all surrounding Chicagoland areas.
Sources:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/sixth_amendment
https://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/bill-of-rights/
