Here’s my second write up about an amendment. See the first one about the second amendment here and stand by for the final next Friday. Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts too!
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees quite a few rights related to trials and the court system, however they all relate back to a common theme: public, the elimination of the middle man. All trials must be speedy and public. No accusations can be made in the dark; the accused must be informed of the accusations against him. No formulating evidence or lying about what was said; he must actually see the witnesses convicting him. And the list goes on. The best example of how this checks the federal government is the Spanish Inquisition. Convicted persons could not request witnesses in their favor, were not always told why they were accused, there was no jury, and the trials were certainly not public. The founders fled for America with these injustices at their back and were determined not to let them be repeated. They could see that if the courts, the justice system, fell, it would take the rest of the nation with it.
