Lower Court Ruling: The trial judge denied Gideon's request for a court-appointed attorney because, under Florida law, counsel could only be appointed for a poor defendant charged with a capital offense. The Florida Supreme Court agreed with the trial court and denied all relief.
Did the Court rule that a defendant could never act as his or her own lawyer? No. A defendant can act as his or her own lawyer if he or she is mentally competent, or the Court will appoint a lawyer for the defendant.
Clarence Earl GideonThe case centred on Clarence Earl Gideon, who had been charged with a felony for allegedly burglarizing a pool hall in Panama City, Florida, in June 1961. At his first trial he requested a court-appointed attorney but was denied.
Gideon was unprepared and did not seem to have the legal training necessary to defend himself. A lawyer would have been more knowledgeable about the nuances of courtroom procedure and could have helped him by calling appropriate witnesses on his behalf and by challenging the prosecution's witnesses.
Gideon v. WainwrightIn Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires the states to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot afford lawyers themselves.
Charged with breaking and entering into a Panama City, Florida, pool hall, Clarence Earl Gideon Gideon, was denied his request that an attorney be appointed to represent him. The Supreme Court reversed his conviction, holding that defense counsel is "fundamental and essential" to a fair trial.
Clarance Earl Gideon was accused of breaking into a bar in Panama City, Florida. The police arrested Gideon and put him in jail. At his trial, Gideon could not afford a lawyer and asked the judge to appoint one for him. The judge refused, and he had to represent himself in court.
What Were the Arguments? Gideon argued that by failing to appoint counsel for him, Florida violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Under the Fourteenth Amendment, certain protections guaranteed in the Bill of Rights were held to also apply to states.
Louie WainwrightLouie Wainwright (September 11, 1923) was the Florida Department of Corrections Secretary. Wainwright was the respondent in Gideon v. Wainwright in which the Court held that criminal defendants are to be provided legal representation if they cannot afford a lawyer.
After the Florida Supreme Court denied his petition, Gideon appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reviewed his case in 1963. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision written by Justice Hugo Black, ruled that Gideon's conviction was unconstitutional because Gideon was denied a defense lawyer at trial.
Held: The right of an indigent defendant in a criminal trial to have the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, and petitioner's trial and conviction without the assistance of counsel violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
Wainwright (1963) - Government must pay for a lawyer for defendants who cannot afford one themselves. - 14th Amendment says that states shall not "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."