Home > Great American Court Cases > McKeiver v. Pennsylvania

Legal Citation: 403 U.S. 528 (1971)

Plaintiffs
Joseph McKeiver, Edward Terry

Defendant
State of Pennsylvania

Plaintiffs' Claim
That minors had the constitutional right to a jury trial in criminal proceedings against them.

Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff
Daniel E. Farmer

Chief Defense Lawyer
Arlen Specter

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, Harry A. Blackmun (writing for the Court), William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, John Marshall Harlan II, Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
William O. Douglas

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
21 June 1971

Decision
Trial by jury is a constitutional right that does not apply to minors.

Significance
The Court reversed a trend that had granted increasing...