Court Opinion

ID: 9687973
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:55:50.14037+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:33.866763
License: Public Domain

Wilkie, J.
(concurring). The narrow question presented in this appeal is whether a juvenile, who is not faced with the possibility of pretrial detention, has a constitutional right to a preliminary hearing. I agree that the child in this situation does not have such a right. I would affirm the order on that basis and not attempt to consider the very difficult questions of the extent due *321process applies to juvenile courts. In McKeiver v. Pennsylvania 1 the supreme court, in five separate opinions, held that a child does not have a constitutional right to a jury trial. Until we have a more definite indication from the United States Supreme Court on the question of the extent due process applies to juvenile court, or until we are required by an actual case to decide the extent a juvenile alleged to be delinquent is entitled to criminal due process, I believe that we should avoid reaching very broad questions in this area.
I am authorized to state that Mr. Justice Heffernan joins in this concurring opinion.

 (1971), 403 U. S. 528, 91 Sup. Ct. 1976, 29 L. Ed. 2d 647.