DeMeerleer v. Michigan, 329 U.S. 663 (1947)
U.S. Supreme Court
DeMeerleer v. Michigan, 329 U.S. 663 (1947)
DeMeerleer v. Michigan
No. 140
Argued January 6, 1947
Decided February 3, 1947
329 U.S. 663
Syllabus
On the same day that an information was filed in a state court charging him with murder, a 17-year-old defendant was arraigned, convicted on his plea of guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He had no counsel, and none was offered or assigned; the court did not apprise him of the consequences of his plea of guilty; no evidence was offered in his behalf, and none of the State's witnesses was cross-examined.
Held: that he was deprived of rights essential to a fair hearing under the Federal Constitution. P. 329 U. S. 665.
313 Mich. 548, 21 N.W.2d 849, reversed.
A state court in which he had been convicted and sentenced for murder denied petitioner's motion for leave to file a delayed motion for a new trial. The state supreme
court affirmed. 313 Mich. 548, 21 N.W.2d 849. This Court granted certiorari. 329 U.S. 702. Reversed, p. 329 U. S. 665.