Willie Earl Mathis, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court held that the trial court abused its discretion by limiting the appellant’s voir dire inquiry into jurors’ attitudes toward the range of punishment and probation, thereby denying the counsel an intelligent basis for peremptory challenges. Accordingly, the murder conviction was reversed and the case remanded for a new trial. Justice Douglas dissented, arguing the questioned inquiries were improper and no abuse occurred.