Legal Opinion
Chandler v. Warden Fretag
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided November 8, 1954No. 39PublishedCited by 466 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtChief Justice Warren
Petitioner is held in the custody of respondent, Warden of the Tennessee State Penitentiary, under a sentence of life imprisonment as an habitual criminal. Challenging the validity of that sentence under the Fourteenth Amendment, he commenced this action in the Tennessee courts to obtain his freedom. We granted certiorari, 347 U. S. 933, because of the substantial question presented by his constitutional claim.
The basic facts are undisputed. Petitioner is a middle-aged Negro of little education. He was indicted on March 10, 1949, for the offense of housebreaking and larceny, an offense…
2Cases cited14 opinions
- Powell v. AlabamaSupreme Court of the United States · 1932
- Williams v. New YorkSupreme Court of the United States · 1949
- Palko v. ConnecticutSupreme Court of the United States · 1937
- Betts v. BradySupreme Court of the United States · 1942
- Avery v. AlabamaSupreme Court of the United States · 1940
9 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by466 opinions
- Oyler v. BolesSupreme Court of the United States · 1962
- Ungar v. SarafiteSupreme Court of the United States · 1964
- Spencer v. TexasSupreme Court of the United States · 1966
- Specht v. PattersonSupreme Court of the United States · 1967
- Crooker v. CaliforniaSupreme Court of the United States · 1958
461 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.