Supreme Court Says No to Shackling Defendants at Trial
Over the dissents of Justices Scalia and Thomas, the Supreme Court today ruled that defendants cannot be placed in front of the jury in shackles.
The Supreme Court, brushing aside warnings by two justices that it was jeopardizing courthouse safety, ruled Monday it is unconstitutional to force capital murder defendants to appear before juries in chains and shackles.
Justices threw out the sentence of Carman Deck, who was shackled in leg irons and handcuffed to a chain around his belly when he faced a Missouri jury that put him on death row.
The opinion is here.
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