John L. Abron, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court held that the trial court's refusal to allow the defense to ask specific questions probing racial prejudice during voir dire violated the defendant's due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment, requiring reversal and remand. The Court emphasized that such questioning is essential for the intelligent exercise of peremptory challenges. Justice MORRISON, concurring, agreed the conviction could not stand but attributed the error to a communication failure and expressed deference to the trial judge's discretion.