In the case of Morris, Warden v. Slappy (1982), Buford Slappy was convicted for burglary and assault with intent to commit murder in a California court. He appealed his conviction on the grounds that he had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to counsel because the trial judge refused to postpone proceedings when his preferred public defender was hospitalized just before trial. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Slappy, stating that while defendants have a right to choose their own attorneys if they can afford them, they do not have an absolute right to be represented by a specific attorney appointed by the state. Furthermore, it held that courts need not delay trials indefinitely due to unforeseen circumstances affecting defense counsel availability; instead judges should balance defendant's rights with efficient courtroom procedure and administration of justice.

In the case of Morris, Warden v. Slappy, Justice Brennan dissented from the majority opinion. He argued that a defendant's right to counsel includes not just having any lawyer assigned but also maintaining continuity in legal representation when reasonable. In this case, he believed that Mr. Slappy was denied his Sixth Amendment rights because his request for a continuance to allow his long-term attorney to represent him at trial was rejected by the court without proper consideration of its merits or potential impact on the fairness of proceedings. The denial forced Mr. Slappy into trial with an unfamiliar public defender who had only two days to prepare and lacked knowledge about key aspects of the case due to lack of time for adequate preparation which could have affected outcome negatively.