In re Gault

Case Overview

Held that juveniles facing confinement in delinquency proceedings are entitled to due process: notice of the charges, the right to counsel, confrontation and cross-examination, and the privilege against self-incrimination. Gerald Gault, 15, had been committed to a state industrial school until age 21 for a lewd phone call that would have cost an adult a small fine. The decision that constitutionalized juvenile court.