The right to counsel refers to the right of a criminal defendant to have a lawyer assist in his defense, even if he cannot afford to pay for an attorney. The Sixth Amendment gives defendants the right to counsel in federal prosecutions.
The Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution give criminal defendants the right to counsel, or in other words, to be represented by an attorney in most criminal proceedings.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to have an attorney defend him or her at trial. That right is not dependent on the defendant's ability to pay an attorney; if a defendant cannot afford a lawyer, the government is required to provide one.
Right to a Speedy Trial: This right is considered one of the most important in the Constitution. Without it, criminal defendants could be held indefinitely under a cloud of unproven criminal accusations. The right to a speedy trial also is crucial to assuring that a criminal defendant receives a fair trial.
The Fifth Amendment's privilege against self-incrimination protects witnesses from forced self-incrimination, and the Sixth Amendment provides criminal defendants with the right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses and to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses.
The Fifth Amendment creates a number of rights relevant to both criminal and civil legal proceedings. In criminal cases, the Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to a grand jury, forbids “double jeopardy,” and protects against self-incrimination.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
The sixth amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to conduct his own defense pro se at trial if she knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently elects to proceed without counsel.
The Seventh Amendment (Amendment VII) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. This amendment codifies the right to a jury trial in certain civil cases and inhibits courts from overturning a jury's findings of fact.
The First Amendment is widely considered to be the most important part of the Bill of Rights. It protects the fundamental rights of conscience—the freedom to believe and express different ideas—in a variety of ways.
Eighth Amendment Protections Against Cruel Punishments, Excessive Bail, and Excessive Fines. The Eighth Amendment provides three essential protections for those accused of a crime, on top of those found in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments: It prohibits excessive bail and fines, as well as cruel and unusual punishments.
Focus of inquiry The Fifth Amendment right to counsel applies when the custodial suspect is “interrogated,” and focuses on the perceptions of the suspect (whether he believes he is in custody); the Sixth Amendment prohibits “deliberate elicitation,” and focuses on the intentions of the police.
Yes, you must appear before the grand jury. You can be arrested if you fail to appear. You will not be able to escape the grand jury subpoena by simply "Pleading the 5th". In order to plead the 5th, you must actually have a valid 5th amendment privilege.
In civil cases, “the Fifth Amendment does not forbid adverse inferences against parties to civil actions when they refuse to testify in response to probative evidence offered against them.” (Baxter v. Palmigiano (1976) 425 U.S. 308, 318.)
In contrast to the Fifth Amendment right to an attorney, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is offense-specific, meaning that once invoked, the Fifth Amendment right to an attorney forbids police to question a suspect on any matter until the suspect has a chance to speak to an attorney.