Speedy trial refers to one of the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution to defendants in criminal proceedings. The right to a speedy trial, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, is intended to ensure that defendants are not subjected to unreasonably lengthy incarceration prior to a fair trial. Violations of the principle, such as where the state has failed to bring the case to trial for an "unreasonable" length of time, may be a cause for dismissal of a criminal case.
In the United States, the length of time can either be defined by statute (for example, in New York, the prosecution must be "ready for trial" within six months on all felonies except murder, or the charges are dismissed by action of law without regard to the merits of the case), or determined by a court under a substantive theory based on the Sixth Amendment; which states: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial..." This argument is typically made in cases in which a significant amount of time has lapsed between the date of the commission of the crime and the date of arrest.
Most, if not all, statutes defining the period of speedy trial time also include various exceptions to this rule. Examples of such exceptions are periods of time in which the delay preceding the trial is due to the request of the defense, or if there is good cause shown for the delay.
See also: continuance
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FindLaw: U.S. Constitution: Sixth Amendment
Right to a Speedy and Public Trial Speedy Trial Source and Rationale Application and Scope When the Right Is Denied Public Trial Right to Trial by Impartial Jury
American Bar Association:Criminal Justice Section
DEFENDANT'S RIGHT TO A SPEEDY TRIAL. Standard 12-2.1 Speedy trial time limits Standard 12-2.2 Commencement and setting of speedy trial time limit
speedy trial legal definition of speedy trial. speedy trial synonyms ...
The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees all persons accused of criminal wrongdoing the right to a speedy trial. Although this right is derived from the federal ...
SPEEDY TRIAL PLAN of the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the DISTRICT ...
PLAN FOR THE DISPOSITION OF CRIMINAL CASES ADOPTED PURSUANT TO THE SPEEDY TRIAL ACT OF 1974 Pursuant to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 3165(c), the Plan for the Disposition of ...
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA
December 1, 2007 Page 1 of 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA SPEEDY TRIAL PLAN (Amending Plan of June 4, 1980) Effective January 1, 2008 Pursuant to ...
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federal speedy trial act and rights ... If you've been charged with a federal crime, has your right to a speedy trial been violated?
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Speedy Trial « North Carolina Criminal Law
The News and Observer ran a story recently — available here — about the length of time it takes to resolve murder cases in North Carolina. The average time to disposition was ...
speedy trial - Legal Definition
Guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a trial conducted without arbitrary and vexatious delays, begun promptly and conducted with reasonable ...