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Harris v. South Carolina, 338 U.S. 68 (1949)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Harris v. South Carolina, 338 U.S. 68 (1949)
Harris v. South Carolina No. 76 Argued November 16, 1948 Decided June 27, 1949 338 U.S. 68
CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Syllabus
Suspected of murder in South Carolina, petitioner, an illiterate negro, was arrested in Tennessee on Friday and taken to South Carolina on Sunday. The South Carolina sheriff had obtained a warrant for his arrest for theft of a pistol, but it was not read to him nor was he informed of the charge against him. Confined in a small hot room, he was interrogated daily and nightly by relays of police officers until he confessed to the murder on Wednesday night, after the police had threatened to arrest his mother. Meanwhile, he was denied counsel and access to family and friends, was not given a preliminary hearing, and was not informed of his constitutional rights. At his trial in a state court, the confession was admitted in evidence over his objection and he was convicted.
Held: The use of a confession obtained in this manner violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the conviction is reversed. Watts v. Indiana, ante, p. 49; Turner v. Pennsylvania, ante, p. 62. Pp. 68-71.
212 S.C. 124, 46 S.E.2d 682, reversed.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina affirmed petitioner’s conviction for murder notwithstanding his claim that his confession was obtained under circumstances rendering its admission in evidence a denial of due process of law. 212 S.C. 124, 46 S.E.2d 682. This Court granted certiorari. 334 U.S. 837. Reversed, p. 71.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Harris v. South Carolina, 338 U.S. 68 (1949) in 338 U.S. 68 Original Sources, accessed November 22, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=A7ZBGNKEVUN9S4P.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Harris v. South Carolina, 338 U.S. 68 (1949), in 338 U.S. 68, Original Sources. 22 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=A7ZBGNKEVUN9S4P.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Harris v. South Carolina, 338 U.S. 68 (1949). cited in 1949, 338 U.S. 68. Original Sources, retrieved 22 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=A7ZBGNKEVUN9S4P.
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