Justice for All: The Gideon v. Wainwright Case

Written by Lowell Redmond

Researched by Gautam Sharma and Laetitia Tohme

Writ of habeas corpus is a rule in law in which a report can be made that the imprisonment one received was improper or invalid. Clarence Earl Gideon, a man who had received nothing more than a junior high education, ran away from home when he was very young, and had spent most of his life “in and out of prisons for non-violent crimes” (US Courts).

While in Florida, he was arrested for breaking and entering, and was convicted guilty at trial. He was sentenced with 5 years of imprisonment. However, Gideon did not have the funds to pay for a lawyer, and according to Florida law, a lawyer was only given for capital offenses (an offense where the death penalty could be given). So he went to court with nothing but his own research, and he was found guilty. This breaks the fourteenth amendment, which outlaws refusing a lawyer in any court case.

While in prison, the first thing he did was write a writ of habeas corpus, but the report was refused, and he stayed in prison. However, Gideon did not give up. After this, he decided to file a petition to the Supreme Court, which was asking whether the sixth amendment applied to state court. This petition did not stay at the Supreme Court for long, only slightly longer than two months. To decide the result, they looked back at a past case, where the defendant still had a right to a council.

The sixth amendment states that “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to have assistance of counsel for his defense” (US Constitution). It is one of the most beneficial and influential amendments in modern days, but, shockingly, not all of the effects it has are positive. It can create a lack of representation for defenders, where most of the cases are represented by public defenders. This issue is important to address because these public defenders do not have the necessary time to prep for the cases. Additionally, the number of local and national cases are increasing yearly. 

Plea deals are often the result of these cases, which are offerings given by the prosecution where the defendant agrees to plead guilty for a less impactful sentence. 

Justice Black of the Supreme Court stated that “reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him.” Injustices such as these have significantly decreased since this case.

Gideon eventually was given a council to revisit the case, and he was acquitted (found not guilty). He died at age 61 due to cancer, but his importance in the American justice system has permanent positive effects. Every defendant, whether at the national or state level, has the right to a council.