Gideon Vs Wainwright Case Study

Gideon vs Wainwright is a landmark Supreme Court case that reinforces the Constitution as the Supreme law of the land, particularly in regard to the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments; insuring that a citizen has a proper and fair trial. This case signified the introduction of a new legal principle that today is still part of our society’s legal system. In 1961 Clarence Gideon was arrested after attempting to rob a pool hall in Panama City, Florida. During his trial, Gideon could not afford an attorney and he requested for the judge of the court to appoint an attorney for him. However, the judge refused to give Gideon an attorney, saying that under Florida law, the court would only be obligated to appoint an attorney to indigent defendants who …show more content…
Unfortunately for Gideon, the court turned down his petition and he was forced to appeal to the U.S Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and it was reviewed on January 15 1963. The Supreme Court had to come to a conclusion on whether the Sixth Amendment applied to felonies in state courts, and on March 18th of that year, a unanimous decision of 9-0 majority written by Chief Justice Hugo L. Black, held that although previously, the Court had interpreted the Amendment as only being applicable to capital trials, referring to Powell vs Alabama (1932), it was now interpreted that the framers of the Constitution placed a high value on the accused to have the ability to properly defend themselves in the court of law. The court ruled that the Sixth Amendment would guarantee a citizen proper and equal representation, that it was vital to a fair trial, and that the states must respect the ruling. This was later reinforced in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth