Brown v. Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brown v. Mississippi |
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| Argued January 10, 1936 Decided February 17, 1936 |
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| Full case name | Brown, et al. v. State of Mississippi |
| Citations | 297 U.S. 278 (more)
56 S. Ct. 461; 80 L. Ed. 682
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| Prior history | Brown v. State, 173 Miss. 542, 161 So. 465, 158 So. 339 (1935); cert. granted, 296 U.S. 559 (1935). |
| Holding | |
| A confession extracted through police brutality cannot be entered as evidence and violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Hughes, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XIV | |
Brown v. Mississippi was an important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1936. The Court ruled that if police force someone to confess, that confession cannot be used as evidence in court. This decision protects a person's right to fair treatment under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Contents
What Was Brown v. Mississippi?
This case was about whether confessions obtained through unfair or forceful methods could be used in a criminal trial. The Supreme Court said no. This ruling was a big step in making sure trials are fair for everyone. It meant that evidence gathered by hurting or threatening people could not be used against them.
The Story Behind the Case
In March 1934, a man named Raymond Stewart was murdered in Kemper County, Mississippi. Three tenant farmers, Arthur Ellington, Ed Brown, and Henry Shields, were arrested for the crime.
During their trial, the main evidence against them was their confessions. However, witnesses for the prosecution admitted something shocking. They said the defendants only confessed after police officers had severely beaten them.
Even with this information, the confessions were still allowed as evidence. They were the only proof used in the trial, which lasted just one day. The jury found the three men guilty and sentenced them to death. The highest court in Mississippi upheld these convictions. One judge, Chief Justice Virgil Alexis Griffith, disagreed strongly. He wrote that the trial record sounded "more like pages torn from some medieval account" than a modern court case.
The Supreme Court's Decision
The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed, the Court overturned the convictions.
The Court decided that a confession forced out of someone by police violence cannot be used as evidence. They said this kind of action goes against the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This part of the Constitution ensures that the government must respect all legal rights owed to a person.
What Happened Next?
After the Supreme Court sent the case back to Mississippi, the three defendants had a choice. They could face another trial, or they could plead nolo contendere to a lesser charge. Pleading nolo contendere means they don't admit guilt but also don't fight the charges. They chose the latter, pleading to manslaughter instead of murder.
They were then sentenced to prison terms: six months for one, two and a half years for another, and seven and a half years for the third.
The prosecutor in the original trial was John C. Stennis. He later became a very successful politician. He served for 42 years as a U.S. Senator and was even the President pro tempore for two years. He ran for office many times in Mississippi and always won.
Learn More
- Confession (legal)
- Chambers v. Florida (1940)
- List of criminal competencies
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 297
- Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
- Scottsboro Boys
