Clarence Earl Gideon Research Paper

Clarence Earl Gideon was pretty much a nobody. He had only culminated his studies up to the eighth grade and even ran away from home while he was still in middle school. As an adult he committed several nonviolent crimes and was sent to jail more than once. He was a drifter that spent a lot of time in and out of prisons until one day it caught up to him. One night Gideon was seen breaking and entering into a local Pool Room and stealing a couple of beers and money from a jukebox. A young man saw him and served as a witness against Gideon. At trial, he was charged with a felony for breaking and entering a private facility. When it came time for trial, he went to court without an attorney because he couldn’t afford one, he was too poor. However, he asked the judge to appoint him counsel but the trial judge denied the request because under Florida Law, it was solely permitted to appoint counsel to defendants who were poor that were charged capital offenses. Gideon ended up having to represent himself in the court and though speaking to the jury and making statements arguing that he was innocent, they found him guilty of the charge and were sent to prison for five years. While in prison, Gideon would check out law books and study the law. He would learn certain key legal terms and be familiarized with them. …show more content…
That if one tries hard enough to reach out to them and present them a valid reason and a case then there is a possibility that your case can be heard. Growing up I always had the notion that the Supreme Court was almost like this higher power that is unreachable and unattainable. Yet to know that even a man sitting in a prison cell was able to catch their attention simply using a handwritten letter. From there changing the entire course of the legal representation concerning the Fourteenth and Sixth Amendment. It just amazes