washington texas argued decided june petitioner another charged fatal shooting petitioner alleged coparticipant tried first convicted murder petitioner trial murder sought secure coparticipant testimony vital defense basis two texas statutes time trial prevented participant accused crime testifying coparticipant prosecution judge sustained state objection coparticipant testimony petitioner conviction ensued upheld appeal held right sixth amendment defendant criminal case compulsory process obtaining witnesses favor applies fourteenth amendment pp state arbitrarily denied petitioner right material testimony witness concerning events witness observed thus denied right compulsory process obtaining witnesses favor pp charles tessmer argued cause petitioner brief emmett colvin howard fender assistant attorney general texas argued cause respondent brief crawford martin attorney general george cowden first assistant attorney general robert lattimore assistant attorney general carubbi chief justice warren delivered opinion granted certiorari case determine whether right defendant criminal case sixth amendment compulsory process obtaining witnesses favor applicable fourteenth amendment whether right violated state procedural statute providing persons charged principals accomplices accessories crime introduced witnesses petitioner jackie washington convicted dallas county texas murder malice sentenced jury years prison prosecution evidence showed petitioner youth dated girl named jean carter mother forbidden see girl thereafter began dating another boy deceased evidently motivated jealousy petitioner several boys began driving around city dallas night august looking gun search eventually led one charles fuller joined group shotgun obtaining shells another source group boys proceeded jean carter home jean family deceased supper boys threw bricks house ran back car leaving petitioner fuller alone front house shotgun sound bricks deceased jean carter mother rushed porch investigate shotgun fired either petitioner fuller deceased fatally wounded shortly afterward petitioner fuller came running back car boys waited fuller carrying shotgun petitioner testified behalf claimed fuller intoxicated taken gun unsuccessfully tried persuade fuller leave shooting fuller insisted going shoot someone petitioner run back automobile saw girl mother come door began running subsequently heard shot time thought fuller shot woman support version facts petitioner offered testimony fuller record indicates fuller testified petitioner pulled tried persuade leave petitioner ran fuller fired fatal shot undisputed fuller testimony relevant material vital defense fuller person petitioner knew exactly fired shotgun whether petitioner last minute attempted prevent shooting fuller however previously convicted murder sentenced years prison confined dallas county jail two texas statutes provided time trial case persons charged convicted coparticipants crime testify one another although bar testifying state basis statutes trial judge sustained state objection refused allow fuller testify petitioner conviction followed upheld appeal texas criminal appeals granted certiorari reverse right accused compulsory process obtaining witnesses favor stands lesser footing sixth amendment rights previously held applicable occasion oliver describe regarded basic ingredients due process law observed person right reasonable notice charge opportunity heard defense right day basic system jurisprudence rights include minimum right examine witnesses offer testimony represented counsel omitted ii joseph story famous commentaries constitution observed right compulsory process included bill rights reaction notorious rule cases treason felony accused allowed introduce witnesses defense although absolute prohibition witnesses defense abolished england statute framers constitution felt necessary specifically provide defendants criminal cases provided means obtaining witnesses evidence well prosecution might evaluated jury despite abolition rule generally disqualifying defense witnesses common law retained number restrictions witnesses physically mentally capable testifying extent applicable effect suppressing truth general proscription defendants codefendants among large class witnesses disqualified testifying ground interest party civil criminal case allowed testify behalf fear might tempted lie although originally disqualification codefendant appears based status party action jurisdictions allowed testify granted separate trials jurisdictions came view accomplices incompetent testify least favor even separate trials spite statutes making defendant competent testify behalf thought two persons charged crime allowed testify behalf try swear charge rule well disqualifications interest rested unstated premises right present witnesses subordinate interest preventing perjury erroneous decisions best avoided preventing jury hearing testimony might perjured even testimony available crucial issue federal courts followed restrictions time despite sixth amendment reid question whether one two defendants jointly indicted murder high seas call witness although expressly recognized sixth amendment designed abolish harsh rules common law particularly including refusal allow defendant serious criminal case present witnesses defense held rules evidence federal courts force various time passage judiciary act including disqualification defendants indicted together holding reid satisfactory later generations however expressly overruled refusing bound dead hand rule taking note conviction time truth likely arrived hearing testimony persons competent understanding may seem knowledge facts involved case leaving credit weight testimony determined jury rosen although rosen rested nonconstitutional grounds believe reasoning required sixth amendment light history view recognition reid case sixth amendment designed part make testimony defendant witnesses admissible behalf hardly argued state violate clause made defense testimony inadmissible matter procedural law difficult see constitution less violated arbitrary rules prevent whole categories defense witnesses testifying basis priori categories presume unworthy belief rule disqualifying alleged accomplice testifying behalf defendant even defended ground rationally sets apart group persons particularly likely commit perjury absurdity rule amply demonstrated exceptions made example accused accomplice may called prosecution testify defendant common sense suggest often greater interest lying favor prosecution rather especially still awaiting trial sentencing think criminals lie save fellows obtain favors prosecution indeed clothe criminal class nobility one might expect find public large moreover texas statutes accused accomplice longer disqualified acquitted trial presumably free testify behalf comrade secure knowledge incriminate freely liked testimony since prosecuted offense texas law leaves free testify great incentive perjury bars testimony situations lesser motive lie hold petitioner case denied right compulsory process obtaining witnesses favor state arbitrarily denied right put stand witness physically mentally capable testifying events personally observed whose testimony relevant material defense framers constitution intend commit futile act giving defendant right secure attendance witnesses whose testimony right use judgment conviction must reversed ordered footnotes shall state deprive person life liberty property without due process law see fuller state tex crim app persons charged principals accomplices accessories whether different indictments introduced witnesses one another may claim severance one acquitted may testify behalf others tex pen code art persons charged principals accomplices accessories whether different indictments introduced witnesses one another may claim severance one acquitted prosecution dismissed may testify behalf others tex code crim art counsel cited statutes jurisdictions found none flatly disqualify coparticipants crime testifying regardless whether tried jointly separately distinguished statutes providing one two defendants tried jointly may evidence insufficient entitled immediate acquittal may testify others statutes seem designed allow joint defendants testify without incriminating see code tit alaska code crim proc stat ann rangel state tex app provision bill rights fundamental essential fair trial made obligatory upon fourteenth amendment gideon wainwright see west louisiana gideon wainwright pointer texas klopfer north carolina oliver story commentaries constitution ed accused treason felony cases allowed produce witnesses testify oath see wigmore evidence ed see generally wigmore ed discussed elsewhere gradual demise rule prohibiting defendants testifying behalf see ferguson georgia see wigmore ed henderson state dec term allen state ohio dec term see foster state ark may term state drake pac cases overturned statute ark stat ann rev stat benson indeed theory common law admit witness stand presumably honest appreciating sanctity oath unaffected party result free temptations interest courts afraid trust intelligence jurors benson see supra nothing opinion construed disapproving testimonial privileges privilege privileges based entirely different considerations underlying disqualifications interest deal case nonarbitrary state rules disqualify witnesses persons mental infirmity infancy incapable observing events testifying justice harlan concurring result reasons stated concurring opinion gideon wainwright opinion concurring result pointer texas dissenting opinion poe ullman accept view due process clause fourteenth amendment incorporates terms specific provisions bill rights view due process clause reducible series isolated points rather rational continuum broadly speaking includes freedom substantial arbitrary impositions purposeless restraints poe ullman supra see palko connecticut klopfer north carolina opinion concurring result concur result case believe state may constitutionally forbid petitioner criminal defendant introducing behalf important testimony one indicted connection offense however barred testifying called prosecution texas put forward justification type discrimination prosecution defense ability call person witness think none opinion really problem compulsory process although incorporationist approach leads strain constitutional provision reach peculiar statutes neither situation state determined matter valid state evidentiary law basis general experience particular class persons example mentally incompetent previously convicted perjury pursuit truth best served disqualification witnesses persons class compare spencer texas rather case state recognized relevant competent testimony type witness arbitrarily barred use defendant think due process clause forbids premise concur reversal judgment conviction cal civ proc code subd cal pen code vermont stat tit see generally wigmore evidence ed