ipl-logo

Summary Of Gideon Vs. Wainwright

578 Words3 Pages

Matt Ritchey
Mr. McAdam
Law and Society
10/12/17
Gideon v. Wainwright Case Summary
The Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright was a landmark case in Supreme Court history. It not only established the right to an attorney, but also a fair trial.
The criminal case of Gideon v. Wainwright lasted from 1961 to 1963. On June 3, 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon, a fifty one year old drifter, robbed a poolhouse for money and beer. The robbery took place at around eight at night. A witness saw Gideon leave with money in his pockets and beer bottles in his hands. The police arrested him on this description alone and charged him with breaking and entering.
At the trial, Gideon appeared in court alone as he was too poor to afford counsel, whereupon the following conversation took place.
“The COURT: Mr. Gideon, I am sorry, but I cannot appoint counsel to represent you in this case. Under the laws of the State of Florida, the only time the court can appoint counsel to represent a defendant is when that person is charged with a capital offense. I …show more content…

Then Gideon tried to defend himself, but like many of us, he could not defend very well so was found guilty. He then was sentenced to imprisonment. Then Gideon applied to the state supreme court with a Writ of Habeas Corpus on the ground that the conviction violated his sixth amendment right. The Florida State Supreme Court then reviewed his case and agreed with the lower court. Gideon was not eligible to receive an attorney from the state. Gideon then appealed to the Supreme Court who took his case. They reached a unanimous decision that the state of Florida, by denying Gideon an attorney, had violated his Sixth Amendment right. They said “The Sixth Amendment requires states to provide defense attorneys to any indigent criminal defendant charged with a felony or

Show More
Related

Case Analysis: Black Mobsters V.

610 Words | 3 Pages

The trial court denied these motions and the statements were used at trial. The jury found petitioner guilty of murder and was sentence to a 24-year prison term. On appeal, Petitioner argued that he had not “knowingly and intelligently” waived his 6th amendment right to counsel before he gave his uncounseled post indictment

Read More

Gideon V. Hide Case

124 Words | 1 Pages

the lawyer gathered the facts and then presented them in court. They found gideon not guilty and all charges were

Read More

Gideon's Sixth Amendment Case Study

90 Words | 1 Pages

1. Gideon’s sixth amendment under the constitution was violated which stated that requires the state courts to provide attorneys to criminals who cannot afford their own. The Supreme Court ruled that Gideon’s amendment was violated. Though his offense was serious he was still supposed to be allowed to have someone to defend him it was one of his rights. The Court stated that the states were to follow the sixth amendment of someone because under the fourteenth amendment “Due Process Clause” applies the main points of the bill of

Read More

Ronald Rompilla Vs Jeffrey A Beard Summary

890 Words | 4 Pages

A decision held that under the Sixth Amendment, the defendant’s counsel had not met the standards of reasonable competence required of a defense. Even if a defendant and their family suggested that no mitigating evidence was available, it is required to use reasonable effort in obtaining and reviewing materials that the counsel expects prosecution to use as evidence during sentencing. The reasoning behind this decision argued that Rompella’s trial counsel did not make sensible efforts to examine the files on Rompilla’s prior convictions for rape and assault. The Court stated that the counsel should have known prosecution would present those files to the jury during sentencing, and that the information on Rompilla’s prior conviction would have found mitigating evidence about his mental health, childhood, and alcoholism that could have been used for a proper

Read More

Effects Of Gideon's Trumpet

162 Words | 1 Pages

He got a phone call and then he asked if his friend could go back to trial because he couldn’t read. So when he was going to go back to trial he said he wasn 't ready and that he wanted a different lawyer. So when he got another lawyer he went to trial and when the jury came back they said he was innocent. this case was important because clarence earl gideon didnt have a

Read More

The Case Of Gideon Vs. Wainwright

685 Words | 3 Pages

Again stated, when Gideon became arrested, he was denied his equal right stated in the fifth amendment. Gideon was brought to trial. When he asked for representation, he was deprived of the right to representation at his trial in the state of Florida. The court did not allow him to get an attorney because it was said that you were only allowed for representation if it was a capital case or if you had a mental defect, and because he didn’t have these qualities he was denied for representation.

Read More

Essay On Gideon V. Cochron

851 Words | 4 Pages

On January 15, 1963, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Gideon v. Wainwright. Abe Fortas, a Washington, D.C., attorney, and future Supreme Court justice, represented Gideon for free before the high court. He eschewed the safer argument that Gideon was a special case because he had only had an eighth-grade education level. Instead, Fortas asserted that no defendant, however competent or well educated, could provide an adequate self-defense against the state and that the U.S. Constitution ensured legal representation to all defendants charged with felonies. Two months later the court unanimously ruled that the denial of an attorney violated the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees due process.

Read More

Gideon Vs Wainwright Case Study

1212 Words | 5 Pages

It is well understood in today’s society that every person charged with a crime is entitled to the counsel of an attorney, regardless if the defendant can afford an attorney or not. Prior to the landmark decision of Gideon v Wainwright (1963), indigent defendants charged in state courts were not guaranteed the right to counsel. The Gideon case extended the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution’s right to counsel in federal trials, though incorporation by the Fourteenth Amendment, to apply to all states. Justice Black wrote the opinion for the Supreme Court in Gideon and opined that “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” (Gideon

Read More

Miranda Vs Arizona Essay

890 Words | 4 Pages

The problem arose when the police officers said they had not advised Miranda of his right to an attorney. Miranda’s lawyer was concerned that his Sixth Amendment Right had been violated. This case was noticed by the ACLU and was taken to the Supreme Court. This case raised issues within the Supreme Court on the rights of Criminal Defendants.

Read More

Summary Of Gideon's Trumpet By Anthony Lewis

819 Words | 4 Pages

Gideon was undoubtedly found guilty of the crime and was sent to prison. While he sat in a Florida prison, Gideon felt that his constitutional right to have an attorney was not granted. Thus, Gideon formulated an appeal to the Supreme Court handwritten on prison paper. The Supreme Court accepted his documents and decided to hear his case. Prior to Gideon vs Wainwright, Betts vs Brady was the case doctrine that was followed.

Read More

No Governmental Agency Should Interfere With Our First Amendment Right To Freedom Of Religion

399 Words | 2 Pages

Pick one, read the Syllabus (the majority opinion summary), and take a look at the other opinions, if there are (concurring, dissenting, etc.). HOLT v. HOBBS Verdict 9-0 in favor of Holt Explain why you believe this case is so important I believe that Holt v Hobbs is an important case because it values our first amendment rights for freedom of religion. A governmental agency preventing a man from practicing his religious beliefs is unconstitutional. It sets a standard that all prisoners should be treated with the same religious laws that are provided to citizens.

Read More

Key Constitutional Concepts By Leonore Annemore Annenberg Institute For Civics

644 Words | 3 Pages

Wainwright illustrated the importance of personal rights guaranteed by the constitution. This case began when Clarence Gideon was denied a court appointed lawyer to represent him in a petty crime case. Gideon, unable to afford his own lawyer, was unable to adequately defend himself and consequently was convicted. However, he was undeterred. Gideon then wrote a letter to the Supreme Court to overturn this conviction with the 6th Amendment as his evidence of the court’s misconduct.

Read More

Poverty And The Justice System In Just Mercy By Bryan Stevenson

832 Words | 4 Pages

Poverty and The Justice System An author by the name of Bryan Stevenson wrote the book Just Mercy. Throughout the book he discussed various points about the United States justice system and the wrongfully convicted crimes that occurred. The stories that the author told indicated that “ The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice”(18). Wealth is an abundance of valuable possessions or money.

Read More

Prosecuting Evidence In Macbeth

1000 Words | 4 Pages

Bailiff: “All rise. Department one of the superior court is now in session. Please be seated.” Judge: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, calling the case of King Duncan’s murder versus Macbeth. Are both sides ready?”

Read More

Exegesis Of Luke 10: 25-37

1611 Words | 7 Pages

Mduduzi Mahlangu-BTh2-NT 1-Dr Bruce Button-Mukhanyo Theological College Exegesis of Luke 10:25-37 Introduction The passage (Luke 10:25-37) of the parable of the Good Samaritan is the second parable in Luke’s Gospel and it falls under the 5th division of the Gospel according to Luke which is “The mission of the Saviour.” It is an exemplary parable of behaviour.

Read More

More about Summary Of Gideon Vs. Wainwright

Related Topics

Open Document