NACDL - Turner v. Rogers (Turner v. Price)

Turner v. Rogers (Turner v. Price)

Amicus curiae brief the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Brennan Center for Justice, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Southern Center for Human Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union is support of petitioner.

Turner v. Rogers (Turner v. Price)

Case Details

Case No.: 10-10
Jurisdiction: United States Supreme Court

Key Topics in the Case

Contempt | Right to Counsel | Child support nonpayment proceedings | Indigents

Documents

turnervrogers_amicus.pdf

Providing counsel to an indigent individual facing jail time in a civil contempt hearing is essential to prevention of wrongful incarceration. Indigent contemnors lack the courtroom skills to effectively represent themselves in complex proceedings; presence of counsel helps to ensure that only willful contemnors are incarcerated. The Supreme Court should provide clear guidance to the states that the Constitution requires appointment of counsel whenever personal liberty is threatened; appointment of counsel for alleged contemnors will ensure due process and help prevent wrongful incarcerations without imposing a significant burden upon the states.

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