Resource: Gideon v. Wainwright
Media Type:
QuickTime Video
Length: 1m 27s
Size: 3.9 MB
When Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for a crime and was not able to afford legal representation, the issue at hand was whether a person without economic resources could defend themselves and win. This video segment explores the landmark case Gideon v. Wainwright and how it ensured that all Americans, regardless of their economic background, received legal representation in a criminal case.
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Transcript (Rich Text Format Document)
Loading reviews...Teachers' Domain, Gideon v. Wainwright, published August 19, 2009, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/bf09.socst.us.const.gideon/
- Background Essay
- Questions for Discussion
- Standards
Print Background EssayClarence Earl Gideon’s tenacious fight for justice in the early 1960s resulted in sweeping changes to the American justice system.
Gideon was charged with breaking and entering following the robbery of a pool hall in Panama City in 1961, when he was spotted a few hours after the crime with his pockets bulging with change and carrying a pint of wine. His case was brought to trial in a Florida court. Unable to afford an attorney, Gideon requested that the court provide legal representation in his defense, as stated in the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. Gideon was denied counsel because Florida’s courts would only supply defendants with attorneys in capital cases. Having no legal background, Gideon was unable to properly defend himself and was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
While in prison, Gideon filed a habeas corpus petition (for release from unjust imprisonment) to the Florida Supreme Court, claiming that his conviction was unconstitutional because he was not provided with a defense attorney at trial. After the Florida Supreme Court denied his petition, Gideon appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reviewed his case in 1963. The Court assigned a prominent Washington, D.C. attorney, Abe Fortas, to represent him. Fortas himself later became a Supreme Court Justice.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Gideon's conviction was unconstitutional because Gideon was denied a defense lawyer at trial. The Court ruled that the Constitution's Sixth Amendment gives defendants the right to counsel in criminal trials where the defendant is charged with a serious offense even if they cannot afford one. Justice Hugo Black wrote, "In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person hauled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth … The right of one charged with a crime to counsel may not be deemed fundamental and essential to fair trials in some countries, but it is in ours."
This landmark case ensured the right for all Americans, regardless of their economic background, to have access to an attorney in a criminal case. The impact on the justice system was unprecedented. Almost overnight, public defenders, whose sole purpose was to defend the poor, were appointed all over the state of Florida and throughout the country.
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Related Resources:
Miranda v. Arizona
(QuickTime Video)
See Also:
K-12 Subject:
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Source: The Supreme Court : "A Nation of Liberties"
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