State v. Wilson

What is the denial of the right to a speedy trial? As Professor Anthony G. Amsterdam, a recognized champion of defendants’ rights, has pointed out, * 1 it is not one thing but many things. What represents an inordinate delay within the contemplation of the Sixth Amendment, therefore, depends upon precisely what it is that the defendant seeks when he asserts a “speedy trial” claim. It is one thing when he demands, “I have a right to a speedy trial; therefore, try me immediately.” It is yet another when he demands, “I have a right to a speedy trial; therefore, release me upon my recognizance if…