14th amendment before sheppard

Important 14th Amendment Cases before the Sheppard Trial

Prior to the Sheppard case, there were other cases that had been ruled on by the Supreme Court dealing with the media and infringements of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. One of the more famous cases deals with Billie Sol Estes v. Texas in 1965. In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the conviction of Estes on swindling charges because the trial judge had allowed

Even before the Sam Sheppard Trial reporters were limited as to what they could bring in to the courtroom.

broadcast media coverage of the trial. The court saw that the press had to have some freedom as to "uphold the spirit of a democratic society,"(IFAC, 29) but they also said that the absolute fairness of the judicial process had to be maintained and that the press should only be "entitled to the exact same rights as the general public."(IFAC,29) This meant that reporters were not allowed to bring typewriters, presses or other tools that could be used to transmit the story into the courtroom.

The jury looks on during the Sam Sheppard Trial.

Another case that dealt with an infringement of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment was Turner v. Louisiana. In this case, a jury convicted Wayne Turner of murder during a robbery he had performed. The deputy sheriffs who were prosecution witnesses in the case were also in charge of having custody of the jurors. This put them in constant contact with the jury that would be deciding the guilt or innocence of Wayne Turner. The sheriffs swore that they hadn't talked to the jurors but the U.S. Supreme Court over turned the conviction anyway saying that "even if it could be assumed that that deputies never did discuss the case directly with any members of the jury, it would be blinking reality no to recognize the extreme prejudice inherent in this continual association." (ACLPP, 188) This case served to explain that the jury having close contact with any outside source involved in the case could lead to a prejudice in the case and consequently, a violation of the due process clause.

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