The Right to a Speedy and Public Trial: A Reference Guide to the United States Constitution - Hardcover

by Susan N. Herman (Author), Erwin Chemerinsky (Foreword by)

Herman provides an analysis and reference guide for the rights that the Sixth Amendment guarantees in all criminal prosecutions. She provides a history of the generation of each right from ancient times through the present. The public trial chapters analyze the development of Supreme Court case law interpreting the Sixth Amendment right and the companion First Amendment right of public access to trials, and then discuss current issues in interpretation of the Sixth Amendment right, including the controversial issue of cameras in the courtroom and the current questions about open proceedings involving alleged terrorists. The speedy trial chapters trace the development of the ideal of prompt proceedings and the Supreme Court's laws in this area, including a critique of the major Supreme Court cases.

Author Biography

Susan N. Herman is Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School. She serves as a member of the National Board of Directors and Executive Committee and as General Counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union. She writes extensively on constitutional and criminal procedure topics for legal and non-legal publications.