Speedy Trial

Rulings about the constitutional right to a speedy trial and how courts judge delay. Summaries from Criminal Defense Resources™ are general education for pro per/pro se defendants and families, not legal advice.

2 rulings, newest first.

• Doggett v. United States

  U.S. Supreme Court · June 24, 1992 · 505 U.S. 647 (1992)

  The Court held that an eight-and-a-half-year delay between indictment and arrest, caused by the government's negligence, violated the right to a speedy trial, even though the defendant could not point to specific harm to his defense.

  Speedy trial

• Barker v. Wingo

  U.S. Supreme Court · June 22, 1972 · 407 U.S. 514 (1972)

  The Court held that the constitutional right to a speedy trial has no fixed deadline. Instead, courts weigh four factors: how long the delay was, the reason for it, whether and when the defendant asserted the right, and whether the delay harmed the defendant.

  Speedy trial