Duncan v. Louisiana

The Court found that the state of Louisiana denied Duncan his basic right to a trial by jury. The Court maintained that this right constitutes a fundamental component of the country's justice system, which the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees at the state level and the Sixth Amendment guarantees at the federal level. The Court also held that "a crime punishable by two years of imprisonment is considered a serious crime, not a petty crime, which does not need a jury trial."