Arraignment

Abstract

Arraignment is an important Constitutional right guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Arraignments are generally brief hearings whereby criminal defendants are informed of the criminal charges against them, and occur at both the federal and state level. Due to arraignment being one of the simplest processes, in terms of procedural rights, few cases with arraignment violations have reached the Supreme Court. This is especially true when comparing arraignment with the large number of cases generated by other rights given in the Sixth Amendment. However, arraignments can vary considerably depending on differing states' applications of arraignment procedures.