In the case of Marc Gilbert Doggett v. United States in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an eight-and-a-half-year delay between Doggett's indictment and arrest violated his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. The government had indicted Doggett on drug charges in 1980 but failed to apprehend him until 1988, despite having multiple opportunities to do so during this period when he was living openly under his own name both abroad and within the country. During this time, Doggett remained unaware of his indictment and led a law-abiding life. The court held that such negligence by the government constituted an unconstitutional deprivation of defendant’s right to a speedy trial even though there was no evidence showing that it impaired his defense against the charges.

In the dissenting opinion for Doggett v. United States, Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Byron White and Antonin Scalia, argued that the majority's decision to dismiss an indictment due to a delay in prosecution was incorrect. They contended that there was no evidence of negligence on part of the government or any deliberate attempt to hamper the defense. The dissenters believed that Doggett had failed to demonstrate actual prejudice resulting from this delay which is necessary under Barker v Wingo standard for dismissal based on Sixth Amendment speedy trial grounds. Furthermore, they emphasized that it should be incumbent upon defendants themselves to assert their rights promptly rather than relying on courts' presumptions about potential prejudice caused by delays in prosecution.