Johnson v. Zerbst
| Johnson v. Zerbst | |
|---|---|
| Argued April 4, 1938 Decided May 23, 1938 | |
| Full case name | Johnson v. Zerbst, Warden, United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga. |
| Citations | 304 U.S. 458 (more) 58 S. Ct. 1019; 82 L. Ed. 1461; 1938 U.S. LEXIS 896 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 92 F.2d 748 (5th Cir. 1937) |
| Holding | |
| Since the Sixth Amendment constitutionally entitles one charged with crime to the assistance of counsel, compliance with this constitutional mandate is an essential jurisdictional prerequisite to a federal court's authority to deprive an accused of his life or liberty. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Black, joined by Hughes, Brandeis, Stone, Roberts |
| Concurrence | Reed |
| Dissent | McReynolds |
| Dissent | Butler |
| Cardozo took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458 (1938), was a United States Supreme Court case, in which the petitioner, Johnson, had been convicted in federal court of feloniously possessing, uttering, and passing counterfeit money in a trial where he had not been represented by an attorney but instead by himself. Johnson filed for habeas corpus relief, claiming that his Sixth Amendment right to counsel had been violated, but he was denied by both a federal district court and the court of appeals.