Gideon V Wainwright Summary

Summary:In 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright was a court case about Clarence Earl Gideon. He was accused of breaking and entering a pool hall and stealing a small amount of money. He was not provided with a lawyer by the state of Florida. He defended himself after being denied a request for free counsel. Later he was just found guilty. Louie L. Wainwright was sued for habeas corpus by Gideon. His case made it to the Supreme Court where it was argued by Abe Fortas.

He argued in overturning his conviction, held that the right to counsel, guaranteed in federal trials by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, is fundamental to a fair trial. State failure to provide counsel for a defendant charged with a felony violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision was one of many by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren that protected the rights of accused criminals and extended the guarantees in the Bill of Rights to state actions.

The holding was expanded in 1972 to require counsel for any defendant who would spend even one day in jail if found guilty. Analysis: In conclusion to this case, I have learned that Gideon has proven that, he had rights. He had due process rights, found in Amendment Six, that are as followed – right to speedy public trial, Trial by jury, State districted where crime was committed, “change of venue”, informed of the changes, right to confront a witness against you, right to subpoena, and then the right to counsel.

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Which before Gideon was only if you were being tried for a capital case.He proved that in the constitution that it did not specify weather or not it was a capital case, it was said for everybody. This case has shown me that there are mess-ups, which will always show up, sooner or later. Clarence Earl Gideon was found guilty with out a lawyer, trying to defend himself, put in jail, learned his rights which has showed me and probably others in my class, tha…