In the case of Solomon v. South Carolina in 1965, the U.S Supreme Court was asked to review a decision made by the South Carolina Supreme Court regarding a murder conviction. The defendant, Solomon, had been convicted and sentenced to death without being allowed counsel during his preliminary hearing. He appealed on grounds that this violated his Sixth Amendment right to legal representation. However, both state courts and federal district court upheld the original ruling arguing that since no plea was entered at this stage or any critical rights relinquished or lost, there was no need for counsel's presence at such an early pre-trial stage according to existing law precedents. The U.S Supreme Court disagreed with these lower courts' decisions and reversed them unanimously (9-0). They held that denying counsel during a preliminary hearing did indeed violate Solomon’s constitutional rights under the Sixth Amendment as it is considered a "critical" stage where potential substantial prejudice could occur affecting later trial outcomes if not properly represented legally.

In the dissenting opinion for Solomon v. South Carolina, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring compulsory school attendance until age 17 infringed upon individual liberties and parental rights. The dissenting justices believed that this requirement could potentially lead to an overreach of government power into private family matters. They also expressed concern about the potential for such laws to be used as tools of social engineering by forcing children into specific educational paths against their or their parents' wishes. Furthermore, they questioned whether mandatory schooling up until age 17 truly served a compelling state interest, suggesting instead that each case should be evaluated individually based on its own merits rather than applying blanket rules across all situations.