Gideon v wainwright

Untitled Slide

Gideon

• white male, 51
• breaks into poolroom to commit robbery
• too poor to afford laywer
• appeared in court without one
• was found guilty and sentenced to 5 yrs

Florida

• Florida state law stated an attorney can only be appointed in serious cases
• trial did not appoint Gideon a lawyer
• he represented himself in the trial

habeas corpus

• Gideon filed a habeas corpus petition to the Florida Supreme Court
• he argued the trial court's decision violated his constitutional right to be represented by counsel
• FL Supreme Court denies petition

parties involved:
Clarence earl Gideon

Louie l. wainwright (represented state of Florida)

Chief Justice of Supreme Court: earl warren

justice delivering majority opinion: Hugo black

question: does the 6th amendment's right to counsel in criminal cases extend to felony defendants in state courts?

court's vote: 9-0 Gideon
decision: trial court's decision was unconstitutional. the Supreme Court held that the framers of the constitution placed a high value on the right of the accused to have the means to put up a proper defense, and the state as well as federal courts must respect that right.

answer: the 6th amendment's right to counsel in criminal cases does extend to felony defendants in state courts.

lasting impact:
an overwhelming majority of crimes are committed by poorer people who cannot afford lawyers. this case affects cases daily, as court appointed lawyers are now extremely common.

sources

• oyez.org
• pbs.org
• law.cornell.edu
• us courts.gov