Gideon v. Wainwright
The decision made the right to appointed counsel a basic requirement of fair criminal procedure.
Does the Sixth Amendment right to counsel apply to states through the Fourteenth Amendment?
Gideon v. Wainwright began with a handwritten petition from Clarence Earl Gideon, a Florida defendant who had been forced to represent himself in a felony trial because the state court refused to appoint counsel.
The Supreme Court unanimously held that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is fundamental and applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. A fair criminal trial, the Court said, cannot depend on whether a defendant can afford a lawyer.
The decision transformed state criminal justice. It made appointed counsel a constitutional requirement in serious criminal cases and helped build the modern public-defense system, even though funding and quality still vary widely across jurisdictions.
Facts
A defendant charged with a felony in state court was denied appointed counsel.
Ruling
The Court held that states must provide counsel for indigent defendants in serious criminal cases.
Why It Matters
The decision made the right to appointed counsel a basic requirement of fair criminal procedure.
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