This week’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that there is no right to counsel for civil defendants facing incarceration for contempt of court disappointed-but did not deter-advocates challenging how Georgia collects back child support payments.
Advocates for so-called civil Gideon rights had hoped the court would decree that anyone looking at jail time is due a lawyer, but the decision was a technical victory for appellant Michael Turner of South Carolina. He said he should have been granted a lawyer to defend him against charges he didn’t pay his child support. By a 5-4 majority, the justices recognized that such cases required additional measures to safeguard a defendant’s constitutional rights and sent the case back to South Carolina.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
