The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the failure to find a Spanish language interpreter for a criminal defendant on the first day of trial was prejudice per se, negating the need to prove that it actually impacted his trial.

In a March 26 ruling, a divided panel ruled 5-2 to affirm a Superior Court ruling that the lack of an interpreter impeded defendant Miguel Diaz’s ability to communicate with his lawyer, thereby prejudicing his case from the outset.