Supreme Court: Suspects Must Go Before Judge Within 6 Hours

The Supreme Court today threw out the confession of Johnnie Corley, a Pennsylvania robbery suspect, saying that the 29½ hours federal authorities waited before bringing him to court was too long, the AP reports. In a 5-4 decision, the court said any confessions federal authorities elicited before a prisoner’s first court appearance may be inadmissible if more than 6 hours elapsed since the arrest.

“Federal agents would be free to question suspects for extended periods before bringing them out in the open,” wrote David Souter in the majority opinion, “and we have always known what custodial secrecy leads to.” (More US Supreme Court stories.)