Ex Parte Crouch was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1884. The petitioner, John F. Crouch, had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. He appealed his conviction on the grounds that he had not received due process under law because he was denied counsel during his trial proceedings. In its ruling, the court held that while it is true that an accused has a right to be represented by counsel at all stages of criminal proceedings against him or her, this right does not extend beyond what is provided for under state laws and constitutions; thus if no such provision exists within those documents then there can be no violation of due process rights as argued by Mr. Crouch's appeal petitioners. Ultimately, however, since Texas did provide for representation by counsel at all stages of criminal trials through its constitution and statutes at the time this case arose (and still does today), Mr. Crouch's claim failed and his conviction stood as originally handed down from lower courts

In Ex Parte Crouch, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over an appeal from a federal district court. The majority opinion held that the state court did not have jurisdiction and that the appeal should be dismissed. Justice Field dissented, arguing that while it is true that appeals from federal courts must generally go through appellate circuits established by Congress, there are exceptions to this rule when no such circuit exists or if Congress has otherwise provided for direct appeals to the Supreme Court. In this case, he argued, since there was no circuit available and Congress had not made any provision for direct appeals in similar cases before then, it would be unjust to deny Crouch his right of appeal simply because of technicalities regarding which court could hear his case.