Brewer v. Williams
E821207
Brewer v. Williams is a landmark 1977 U.S. Supreme Court case that clarified Sixth Amendment right-to-counsel protections during police interrogations, particularly regarding the admissibility of statements deliberately elicited from an indicted defendant in the absence of counsel.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Sixth Amendment case
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ criminal procedure case ⓘ landmark decision ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
ⓘ
criminal law ⓘ criminal procedure ⓘ |
| arguedDate | 1976-10-04 ⓘ |
| citation | 430 U.S. 387 ⓘ |
| citationCategory | U.S. Supreme Court, criminal procedure, right to counsel ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvision | Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1977-03-23 ⓘ |
| defendant | Robert Anthony Williams NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| dissentingOpinionBy | William H. Rehnquist NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| factSummary |
Case involved police obtaining incriminating statements from an indicted defendant during transport without his lawyer present.
ⓘ
Police officer gave the defendant a so-called "Christian burial speech" that led to discovery of the victim's body. ⓘ |
| fullName | Brewer v. Williams NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding |
Police may not deliberately elicit incriminating statements from a defendant after the right to counsel has attached and in the absence of counsel, absent a valid waiver.
ⓘ
The Sixth Amendment right to counsel prohibits the use at trial of statements deliberately elicited from an indicted defendant in the absence of counsel. ⓘ |
| impact |
Clarified limits on police interrogation after the right to counsel has attached
ⓘ
Strengthened protections for represented defendants during custodial questioning ⓘ |
| joinedByInMajority |
Byron R. White
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Harry A. Blackmun NERFINISHED ⓘ John Paul Stevens NERFINISHED ⓘ Lewis F. Powell Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ Thurgood Marshall NERFINISHED ⓘ Warren E. Burger NERFINISHED ⓘ William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| legalIssue |
admissibility of statements
ⓘ
police interrogation ⓘ right to counsel ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Potter Stewart NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| page | 387 ⓘ |
| petitioner | Brewer NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| proceduralPosture | Review of a state criminal conviction for murder ⓘ |
| relatedCase |
Massiah v. United States
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Nix v. Williams NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedDoctrine | Massiah doctrine NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reporter | United States Reports ⓘ |
| respondent | Williams NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result | Conviction reversed due to violation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel ⓘ |
| rightInvolved | right to counsel at critical stages of prosecution ⓘ |
| stageOfProceedings | post-indictment ⓘ |
| standardAnnounced | deliberate elicitation standard under the Sixth Amendment ⓘ |
| volume | 430 ⓘ |
| year | 1977 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.