Case Brief Of Gideon Vs Wainright

Kasey Sammis

Case: Gideon v Wainright, 1963

Facts: Clarence Earl Gideon and Louie Lee Wainright, Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections.

Gideon was charged breaking and entering and intent to commit petty larceny in Florida state court. He appeared before the state Court, informing the Court he was too poor to afford representation and requested that the Court appoint him an attorney. The Court declined to appoint Gideon an attorney, stating that under Florida law, the only time an indigent defendant is entitled to appointed counsel is when he is charged with a capital offense. Gideon was forced to represent himself and with no knowledge of doing so, was found guilty anc sentenced to serve five years in prison. There he filed for suit agains the Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections, who at the time was H. G. Cochran. Cochran retired and was replace by Louie Lee Wainright before the case was heard by the Supreme Court. Having studied in the prison library, Gideon argued in his appeal that he was denied council, and therefore his Sixth Amendment rights, as applied to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment, were violated.

Issue: Whether the Sixth Amendment constitutional requirement that indigent defendants be appointed counsel

Application: In the case of Betts v. Brady, Betts was brought to trial on robbery charges and, like Gideon, could not afford an attorney and was refused to be provided with one. He, too, was forced to represent himself and found guilty. While serving his sentence, the Betts filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, with the circuit court, claiming he had been deprived the right to assistance of counsel, guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. His initial petition was rejected, and then he filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus with the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, again asserting he was denied his Fourteenth Amendment constitutional right to be represented by