Amendment Six

Rights Protected

• Right to a speedy trial
• Right to a public trial
• Right to a fair, unbiased jury
• The indicted must be told their specific charges
• Trials will be held near where the crime was committed (if possible)
• All whom appear in court must have a lawyer, either their own or one appointed by the court

Right to a quick trial

• The courts must try their best to get people through the system as fast as possible
• You aren't allowed to sit in jail for longer than absolutely necessary

Right to a public trial

• Your trial must be viewable by the public
• This right can be overridden in extreme cases

Right to a fair jury

• Juries must have at least six members
• Possible members are questioned beforehand to determine bias; may be thrown out if bias is discovered

Indicted must be told charges

• Helps prevent double jeopardy
• There is debate on how specific the charges have to be

Right to a local trial

• Trials will be held as close as possible to the location of the crime
• If it's a pain to organize locally, trials may be held elsewhere

Right to a lawyer

• Everyone must have the option to a lawyer
• If the defendant does not hire his own lawyer, the court must hire one for them
• Even so, anyone can refuse the lawyer and defend themselves

How it affects us

• If any one of us gets arrested, we will receive the same treatment in court
• The outcome will theoretically be the same no matter your race or sex