{"argument_date":"2002-02-19T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2002-02-19T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","paragraphs":["Pryor argued the state relies on prior Supreme Court precedent.","Mills argued the state takes a shallow view of the law.","Duke argued this is a serious criminal prosecution.","Fried argued deferred prosecution is a red herring."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 17-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 17-21"}]}],"caption":"Alabama v. Shelton","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:32.358395Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"Alabama argues it can imprison a defendant without a lawyer if they pay fines. The defendant argues this violates the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2002-02-19T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/00-1214.html","primary_docket":"00-1214","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T17:15:21.046739Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["The case tests whether a state can impose jail time without providing a lawyer. The defendant argues this practice violates the Sixth Amendment. The state argues it can use fines as a substitute for counsel."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on February 19, 2002."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["Alabama wants to keep the conviction and jail time.","Shelton wants the conviction overturned and the jail time removed."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["Alabama argues the Sixth Amendment does not require a lawyer if the defendant pays fines.","Shelton argues the Sixth Amendment requires a lawyer for any criminal prosecution that risks jail."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Does the Sixth Amendment require a lawyer for a misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence?","Can a state use a fine as a substitute for providing a lawyer?"],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 17-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 17-21"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the scope of the right to counsel. It determines when states must provide lawyers for criminal defendants. It affects how courts handle misdemeanor prosecutions nationwide."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 17-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 17-21"}]}],"slug":"2001-00-1214-alabama-v-shelton","term":"2001","title":"Can a state jail a defendant without a lawyer if they pay fines?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 25-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 25-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 35-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 35-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 36, lines 5-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/00-1214.pdf","page_label":"file page 36, lines 5-31"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}