ipl-logo

The Supreme Court Case: Gideon V. Wainwright

1659 Words7 Pages

On August 4, 1961 Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for stealing money and drinks from a pool house in Florida. When he was arrested he was tried for his crimes. The 6th amendment states that if a defendant is too poor to provide a lawyer than he should be provided one by the Court, but Gideon was not given a lawyer. He was not given a lawyer because it says in the Florida law that lawyers are only provided in big felonies, not misdemeanors. So Gideon should have been provided a lawyer and was not. The court then found him guilty because he was not capable of defending himself in court because he was a man with an 8th grade education. He also had no parents to raise him because he ran away from home so he was an uneducated man living on the streets with nothing to do his whole life.

Gideon did not think this was fair that he was not given a lawyer. He did some research in …show more content…

Wainwright deserved no less attention than it got, although some say it didn’t. The case definitely should have gone to The Supreme Court and it deserved no less than a unanimous 9-0 vote by the Justices. Gideon also should have been proved not guilty in his second trial. Even though he did rob the pool hall he was not given a fair trial for his consequences so he didn’t have to face the consequences. The Gideon v. Wainwright case also violated the 6th and 14th amendment. These amendments say that Gideon had a right to counsel. He had this right because he didn’t have the funds to provide an adequate lawyer to represent himself in his trial and he needed one to have a fair trial and a chance to free himself from jail. Since he was not provided one they were denying him his rights. This supreme Court case had such a big impact on the United States. It had a big impact because it changed the laws of Florida and the world. The laws were changed because some states did not provide lawyers in misdemeanor crimes, but now they do because of this Supreme Court

Show More
Related

  • Case Study: Gideon V. Wainwright

    325 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Respondent was Louie L. Wainwright, Director, and Division of Correction. It was decided by Warren Court (1962-1965) and it was argued on January 15, 1963 and finally decided on Mach 18, 1963. Gideon was not your normal teenager as he did not spend much time with friends nor did he seem to care much about

    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

  • 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 Guilty Of Clarence Earl Gideon's Trial

    266 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are two problems attempting to be dealt with at once; the first, and most obvious one, is that Gideon did not in fact commit any crime. The second being he was

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Gideon Vs Wainwright

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gideon v. Wainwright changed the way of due process. In 1963 Gideon was accused of breaking and entering a pool hall and stealing a small amount of money. Florida didn’t allow gideon a lawyer. He defended himself after being denied a request for free counsel. Later he was just found guilty.

    Read More

  • Gideon Vs Wainwright Case Study

    921 Words  | 4 Pages

    This means that those charged with lesser crimes are pushed to the back of their caseloads. Public defenders are overworked and underpaid meaning that many times they cannot do their job to the best of their abilities. Sadly because of this system, many of their clients sit in holding cells for months or years, awaiting for a trial that is continually pushed off by their attorney. While the system of free public defenders seemed like an equal foot for criminal clients to stand on in the justice system, it is in reality a very messy and disorganized system that overlooks those without the most pressing issue. Gideon V. Wainright was a landmark case, arguably one of the most important cases of the sixties.

    Read More

  • Obergefell V. Hodges: Case Study

    650 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Role of the People in Key Issues and Policies and Political Culture In the case of Obergefell v. Hodges there were different roles that were played in. The role of the people, policies, and political culture. Each one had an impact on the decision that was made on June 26, 2015. The people with having the right to vote for who they wanted to represent them, the policies being that same sex couple could get married in some states but that marriage was not recognized in a state that did not support it, and the political culture was same sex marriage acceptable.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Gideon's Trumpet By Anthony Lewis

    1571 Words  | 7 Pages

    This was critical in Gideon's claim to the Supreme

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Supreme Court Case Of Gideon V. Wainwright

    1023 Words  | 5 Pages

    Clarence Earl Gideon was an indigent living in Florida who was accused of breaking into the Bay Harbor Poolroom in Panama City, Florida with the intention to commit petty larceny. He had to represent himself at trial since he was poor and Florida did not provide state-funded attorneys for indigents. Once the case was taken up by the Supreme Court, it was affirmed by unanimous decision that anyone had a right to counsel. In Betts v. Brady which Gideon’s case overturned, Betts was an indigent accused of robbery who, when he asked for counsel at his trial, was denied. He later appealed his case up the court system and eventually to the Supreme Court on the grounds that, due to such actions, he had been held illegally.

    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

    The written story of how Clarence Earl Gideon, a poor Florida man, went from a convicted criminal to ultimately redefining legal history is astounding. The Supreme Court commonly dismisses more cases than it accepts and the fact that a handwritten petition from a prison inmate was accepted shows that even the seemingly most insignificant person can make a difference in our society. The book’s literature is highly legalistic but constantly provides a detailed account of how the judicial system is constructed. Coming from a regular college student standpoint with no previous formal law education, this makes the underlying concept easier to grasp. The story’s setting during the time of the Gideon case, showed how the legal system was constructed towards the growing concept of a defendant’s rights.

    Read More

  • Supreme Court Case Essay

    537 Words  | 3 Pages

    “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right. ”(Martin Luther King, Jr.) Most people were racist but now since the civil rights have been established most have stopped being racist and moved on. Three supreme court case decisions influenced the civil rights movements by letting more and more poeple know what the Supreme Court was doing to African Americans,and of the unfair him crow laws:(Dred Scott v. Sanford,Plessy v. Ferguson,Brown v. Board of Education). Dred Scott v. Sanford Is a case that most people felt that Dred Scott had an unfair charge against him.

    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

  • 6th Amendment Importance

    847 Words  | 4 Pages

    As stated on www.healio.com, the Gideon v. Wainwright case is what brought the need for constitutional protections being accessible by citizens. This being one of the main reasons this amendment is important because not everyone

    Read More

  • 8th Amendment In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1026 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even though the justice system has evolved, people such as African Americans are still judged based on the color of their skin, their country of origin, or their religion. This book has thrived through the 1930’s and the 1960’s and continues to portray an important message today which is why it is so successful. The Eighth Amendment in To Kill A Mockingbird highlights important issues such as putting a stop to cruel and unusual punishments, and dictating excessive fines and excessive bail. Will there ever be a day where the Tom Robinsons in the world will see the Eighth Amendment apply to

    Read More

More about The Supreme Court Case: Gideon V. Wainwright

Open Document