Among the most famous court decisions ever decried was Gideon v. Wainwright’s case takes place because it established the right of a criminal defendant to have an attorney, even if they cannot personally hire an attorney. In this famous Supreme Court case, the Court unanimously ruled that due to the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution, states must provide an attorney for defendants who are unable to afford a lawyer.
The case was about a theft in which the accused was denied the right to an attorney because he could not pay a lawyer. After he was charged with theft, Gideon (the accused person) came to the courthouse too poor to pay lawyer’s fees. Here’s what happened:
The case was about a theft in which the accused was denied the right to an attorney because he could not pay a lawyer. After he was charged with theft, Gideon (the accused person) came to the courthouse too poor to pay lawyer’s fees. Here’s what happened:
THE COURT: Mr. Gideon, I’m sorry, but I can’t appoint a lawyer to represent you in this case. Under Florida State law, the only time a court can appoint an attorney to represent a defendant is when that person is sentenced to death. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to decline your request to appoint an attorney to defend you in this case.
GIDEON: The Supreme Court of the United States says that I have the right to be represented by a lawyer.
A Florida court has refused to appoint a lawyer for Gideon. As a result, he was forced to act as his own lawyer and make his own defense in court, emphasizing his innocence in the case. At the end of the trial, the jury returned a guilty verdict. The court sentenced Gideon to five years in state prison.
After being convicted, Gideon appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States that his Sixth Amendment rights had been violated. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that defendants who could not afford a lawyer should be provided with a lawyer, and as a result of this decision, more than 2,000 previously convicted people were released from Florida prisons. Today, poor prisoners are appointed as lawyers for their fair trial in court.
