...decided to review Powell v. Alabama (1932) and Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) for this week’s post. I found these two cases to be similar in the resulting opinions issued by the United States Supreme Court. In both cases the court found that the Sixth Amendment rights of the defendants were violated by the trial courts. Powell v. Alabama was significant in multiple aspects. It established the precedent that not only must a lawyer be assigned but the court, but that that lawyer must also provide effective counsel to the defendant. The Supreme Court recognized that a counsel who never meets with the defendant is not providing the legal representation to the defendant that was the intent of the framers of the Constitution. The second precedent that I think it set, even it if was not intended, is that all persons accused of a crime are entitled to...
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...The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution states that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to have the assistance of counsel for his defense” (law). Although the right to counsel is found at the very end of this amendment, it is just as important as the right to a speedy and public trial, or the right to an impartial jury. In 1961, a man named Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested in the state of Florida. He requested an attorney because he could not afford one, but this request was denied by the judge. Two years later, the Supreme Court heard and decided on a case called Gideon v. Wainwright, where it was stated that the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel was essential to a fair trial. It therefore became unconstitutional to deny counsel to a poor person facing a felony charge. Gideon v. Wainwright was a remarkable Supreme...
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...throughout history, one of which is the story of Clarence Earl Gideon. Gideon Petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States of America for a writ of certiorari, founded in his belief that he, a poor man, should have the right to an attorney after he was convicted of robbing a pool house in the early 1960’s. Despite originally being found guilty, Gideon was determined to appeal to the courts and gain his freedom under the premise that his right to due process of law was violated. He created a movement in history that led to the establishment of universal right to counsel within the United States legal system. After a tedious case, that did not look as though it would bode well for Gideon, he was successful in persuading the Supreme Court to accept his appeal....
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...process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense (U.S. Const. amend. VI). In today’s society, the Supreme Court has decided that the Sixth Amendment also means in federal courts, counsel must be provided for indigent defendants unable to obtain their own attorneys. The Supreme Court has made many decisions shaping the Sixth Amendment into what it is today while keeping it close to its original intent I believe. Some of the influential cases are: Johnson v. Zerbst, Betts v. Brady, Gideon v. Wainwright, Argerisnger v. Hamilton, Faretta v. California, and Strickland v. Washington. I decided to highlight these decisions because I believe they are good examples of how the Sixth Amendment has been interpreted and sculpted to fit in today’s world. Indigent felony defendants in federal court are entitled to court-appointed counsel, decided in 1938 in Johnson v. Zerbst (Neubaur & Fradella, 2014). Then in 1942 we had the Betts v. Brady decision, in that case, the justices had ruled that indigent defendants need only be provided with a lawyer under special circumstances (Summary of the Decision, n.d.). Meaning indigent defendants in noncapital...
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...Historically, what has the right to counsel guaranteed? How did Gideon v. Wainwright change this? Historically, it was customary for individuals to represent themselves during trial. The legal system back then was certainly not the complex web that it is today, so the demand for lawyers was low. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel was considered more of a luxury rather than the fundamental right we consider it to be today. If an individual wanted a lawyer to represent them in court, they would be responsible for finding a lawyer and paying for their services. This classist application of the Sixth Amendment let a lot of people fall through the cracks and “brought about complaints over economic discrimination”. This issue was first addressed...
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...persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” meaning that all people are under subjection of due process. Due process is the legal requirement, by state and federal government, to acknowledge the legal rights that a person owns. Since November 10, 2001, due process has changed in the United States wherein enemy combatants do not receive the right to due process anymore. Although America has moved far along since the new due process acts, Bush and Obama have been under constant fire for “obstruction of civil rights”. In the 1963 Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with breaking and entering with intent for petty larceny. The offense had occurred between midnight and 8:00AM when a person had broken a door, smashed cigarette machines, and stolen money out of the cash register. Based upon the single accusation of Gideon leaving the store with a bottle of wine and cash at 5:30PM, he was...
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...Gideon v. Wainwright was a very important case for the Supreme Court; it guaranteed the same kind of fair trial in state courts as was expected in federal courts. In 1961 Clarence Gideon was denied an attorney in a state court and he appealed to the Supreme Court arguing this was violating his constitutional right to a fair trial. This was going against a previous decision by a Federal Court of Appeals in 1941. The Supreme Court accepted Gideon's petition and reviewed the decision of the Court of Appeals. In 1963 the Supreme Court decided in favor of Gideon and overruled the previous decision changing the precedent for all state courts. The decision stated that the sixth amendment applied to states and now we are (Krajicek, Clarence Gideon...
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...Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) In Gideon v. Wainwright, Clarence Earl Gideon was convicted of breaking and entering into a pool hall, and he was also charged of stealing money and alcohol. At his trial, Gideon did not have the sufficient funds to get an attorney, so he asked the judge if he could be appointed an attorney. Gideon’s request was denied by the judge because according to the Florida law, the only time a attorney could be appointed to someone was for poor defendants who were charged with capital offenses. This is the point where the constitutional issue began. Gideon fended for himself as best as he could but failed and was sent to prison. While serving his time, Gideon insisted that he should have been appointed an attorney, so he did research based on the prison library. After he was well informed he petitioned the Supreme Court arguing that he should have been appointed an attorney but his request was denied. And that was his constitutional issue, people should be appointed an attorney if they cannot afford one even if they are not being charged with a capital offense and he claimed...
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...Citation: Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963) Facts: Gideon was charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a misdemeanor, which is a felony under Florida law. At trial, Gideon appeared in court without an attorney. In open court, he asked the judge to appoint counsel for him because he could not afford an attorney. The trial judge denied Gideon’s request because Florida law only permitted appointment of counsel for poor defendants charged with capital offenses. At trial, Gideon represented himself – he made an opening statement to the jury, cross-examined the prosecution’s witnesses, presented witnesses in his own defense, declined to testify himself, and made arguments emphasizing his innocence. Despite his efforts, the jury found Gideon guilty and he was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Gideon sought relief from his conviction by filing a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Florida Supreme Court. In his petition, Gideon challenged his conviction and sentence on the ground that the trial judge’s refusal to appoint counsel violated Gideon’s constitutional rights. The Florida Supreme Court denied Gideon’s petition. Gideon next filed a handwritten petition in the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court agreed to hear the case to resolve the question of whether the right to counsel guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution applies to defendants in state court. Issue: A prior decision of the Court’s, Betts v. Brady...
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...Case Citation Gideon v Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963) Court U.S. Supreme Court Facts Defendant was charged with a felony in a Florida State Court. He was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a misdemeanor. He was not appointed counsel even though he was not able to afford one. He was forced to act as his own counsel and was convicted. He was sentenced to five years in a state prison. Defendant was denied counsel due to Florida Law. The law stated that the only time and indigent defendant would get a counsel was if he is charged with a capital offense. Gideon filed a petition for habeas corpus attacking his conviction and sentence on the ground that the trial court’s refusal to appoint counsel denied his constitutional rights and rights guaranteed him under the Bill of Rights. The Florida State Supreme Court denied relief. Because the problem of a defendant’s constitutional right to counsel in state court continued to be source of controversy since Betts v. Brady, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari to again review the issue. Issue The issue at hand is whether A prior decision of the Court’s, Betts v. Brady, 316 U.S. 455 (1942), held that the refusal to appoint counsel for an indigent defendant charged with a felony in state court did not necessarily violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court granted Gideon’s petition for a writ of certiorari – that is, agreed to hear Gideon’s case and review the decision...
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...The Indigent Defender: Gideon versus Wainwright Do you think indigent defendants, or defendants without lawyers should be provided with lawyers in all court cases? Gideon versus Wainwright is a case that will decide if indigent defendants will. The case of whether indigent defendants should be provided with lawyers. There have been many other cases similar to this, like Powell versus Alabama, Palko versus Connecticut, and Betts versus Brady. Indigent defendants should not be provided lawyers in court unless their offense is capital. The case started in 1961 when a homeless man by the name of Clarence Earl Gideon was caught “Breaking and entering into a Panama City, Florida, pool hall and stealing money from the hall's vending machines” (Mcbride). He stole less than one hundred dollars and some...
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...Gideon v. Wainwright The Warren Court also reviewed the case of Gideon v. Wainwright which was a case that changed the history of criminal procedure. Clarence Earl Gideon was a man who believed that he deserved to have his voice heard after being denied a right to counsel when he was arrested for petty larceny and breaking into a poolroom in Panama City, Florida in June 1961. At trail Gideon ask for a lawyer to defend his case since he could not afford one himself. Unfortunately, his request was denied since under Florida law a lawyer could be provided only if the defendant was charged with a capital offense. Gideon had no choice but to represent himself and was found guilty. Gideon then filed a writ of habeas corpus, but it was denied. After forwarding his petition in 1963 The Supreme Court then agreed to review his case. Now, the Warren Court was faced with reviewing the issue of whether the state court violated Gideon’s right to a fair trial and due process of law which was protected by the Sixth and Fourteens Amendments. In a unanimous decision, the Warren...
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...everyone’s minds: If I get convicted, will my sentencing be fair? Fairness is something that has to be guaranteed in most influential country in the world. “Gideon v. Wainwright” has challenged this fairness and changed how the justice and judicial system worked. This court case leaves a remarkable imprint for the future of court rulings and decision making. On August 4th, 1961, a man by the name of Clarence Earl Gideon was convicted of breaking and entering with the intent of committing a misdemeanor. Under Florida law, this was seen as a felony, a pretty serious crime as to go to trial for it. The day of Gideon’s trial, he appeared in court without an attorney. Upon his request for one since he could not afford it, the The trial judge denied his request because under Florida law, the appointment of a representative was only permitted for defendants charged with capital offenses....
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...Md. Musa Shifullah Professor Porter Introduction to legal process Course code-126 Mandatory Response paper (two) about the Supreme Court case decision for Gideon v. Wainwright The plaintiff Gideon been accused by the State Court of Florida for committing felony. The hearings commenced, and Gideon requested for a defense lawyer to be appointed by the State of Florida, on account of the law that he has the right to get state-appointed counsel as he is indigent. However, this request had been declined by the state Court, as they said that indigent defendants have the right to appointed counsels only when they have been accused of a capital offense. It was held that the right to be represented by a counsel was a right fundamental to having a...
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...Gideon’s Trumpet, by: Anthony Lewis Clarence Earl Gideon was born on August 30, 1910 in Missouri. Gideon lost his father when he was three years old. His home life was non existent as he ran away from home when he finished eighth grade and started living his life as a homeless drifter. By the time that Gideon reached the age of sixteen he had an extensive list of petty crimes. At age eighteen he was arrested in Missouri and convicted of robbery, larceny and burglary. Gideon was sentenced to ten years in prison but was released in 1932 after serving three years. Gideon would spend most of the next thirty years in poverty and in and out of prison. Throughout this time he was married four times, the first three marriages ended very quickly but the last marriage in the 1950’s would last longer. Gideon and his wife settled in Panama City, Florida after having three children who would later be taken away by welfare authorities. Gideon found work as an electrician but gambled to subsidize his low income. Gideon would not go back to jail again until 1961. On June 3, 1961 four fifths of wine, twelve bottles of Coca Cola, twelve cans of beer, about five dollars from the cigarette machine and sixty dollars from the juke box were stolen from Bay Harbor Poolroom which belonged to Ira Strickland Jr. A twenty-two year old resident that lived close by, Henry Cook, told the police that he saw Gideon get into a cab after walking out of the pool hall with a bottle of wine and pockets...
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