Rights of accused in criminal prosecutions.
Const. 1963, Art. I, § 20
in effectArticle I § 20. Rights of accused in criminal prosecutions.
Sec. 20.
In every criminal prosecution, the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, which may consist of less than 12 jurors in prosecutions for misdemeanors punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year; to be informed of the nature of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him or her; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his or her favor; to have the assistance of counsel for his or her defense; to have an appeal as a matter of right, except as provided by law an appeal by an accused who pleads guilty or nolo contendere shall be by leave of the court; and as provided by law, when the trial court so orders, to have such reasonable assistance as may be necessary to perfect and prosecute an appeal.
Const. 1963, Art. I, § 20, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964; Am. H.J.R. M, approved Aug. 8, 1972, Eff. Sept. 23, 1972; Am. S.J.R. D, approved Nov. 8, 1994, Eff. Dec. 24, 1994
[FormerConst] See Const. 1908, Art. II, § 19.
Source: Michigan Legislature (legislature.mi.gov)URL: https://legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-Article-I-%C2%A7-20Fetched: 10/20/2026