Court Opinion

ID: 9699062
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 20:08:52.494972+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:46.132012
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Justice Cohen:
Only a waiver of counsel, understandingly made, justifies trial without counsel. The philosophy behind this view is “that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or the Fifth Amendment requires counsel for all persons charged with serious crimes, when necessary for their adequate defense, in order that such persons may be advised how to conduct their trials.”
In my opinion, the youth, lack of education, inexperience, low mentality and the improper conduct on *579the part of the prosecuting officials here are in such combination so as to supply the ingredients of unfairness which represent a denial of due process.
Uveges v. Pa., 335 U. S. 437, is authoritative. I dissent.