In the case of Reeves v. Alabama (1957), the U.S Supreme Court overturned a conviction by an Alabama court on grounds that it violated due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The defendant, Reeves, was convicted for rape and sentenced to death without being given access to counsel during his preliminary hearing or trial in violation of his constitutional right to legal representation. The Supreme Court held that this denial constituted a breach of due process as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires states to provide fair procedures when depriving individuals of life, liberty or property. Therefore, they reversed and remanded the decision back down to lower courts for further proceedings consistent with their opinion.

In the dissenting opinion for Reeves v. Alabama, the justice argued that there was a lack of due process in how the case was handled at trial level. The main point of contention revolved around whether or not an all-white jury could impartially decide on a case involving an African American defendant during this period of intense racial segregation and prejudice. The justice believed that it was unconstitutional to deny African Americans their right to serve on juries, especially when such exclusion resulted in biased outcomes against defendants of color. Furthermore, they expressed concern over potential coercion used by police officers during interrogations without proper legal representation present for the accused party. They felt these issues were significant enough to warrant a retrial under fairer circumstances.