Case Brief: Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963)

Facts 

The case involves Clarence Earl Gideon who had been charged with felony crime under Florida law. During the trial, he asked the judge to appoint a counsel to represent him since he could not afford it. The judge denied the request since Gordon was not charged with a capital offense. At trial, the defendant represented himself but ended up being sentenced to five years imprisonment by the jury. Gideon again appealed for relief from the conviction by petitioning for writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court in Florida. The Florida Supreme Court denied the petition that had been filed. Next, Gideon decided to file a handwritten petition to the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court agreed to hear Gideon’s case. 

Issues 

The Court Agree to hear the case to determine whether the rights to counsel guaranteed under the sixth amendment would apply to defendants in the state courts in the United States 

Rule 

The Supreme Court considered the Betts v. Brady , 316 U.S. 455 (1942), Sixth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment as the basis for determining the case. In Betts v. Brady , the Supreme Court had ruled that the decisions by judges to appoint a counsel for an individual who had been charged with a felony in a state court were not an outright violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. In the present instance, the US Supreme court granted the petition by Gideon based on writ of certiorari. The intention was to hear the case, review the decisions made in the lower courts, and determine whether it was necessary to recognize the ruling in Betts v. Brady . 

Holding 

The US Supreme Court made a unanimous decision to overrule Betts v. Brady . The case was reversed and the defendant remanded. 

Rationale 

The US Supreme Court stated that the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of counsel applies to state courts through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The judges noted that in the US criminal justice system, a poor person who appears before the court is not assured of a fair trial unless they are given access to counsel. Furthermore, they stated that poor people cannot stand a fair trial if they face an accuser without the assistance of a lawyer. 

References 

Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963) 

Betts v. Brady , 316 U.S. 455 (1942)