Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the right to legal counsel for defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The case arose when Clarence Earl Gideon, a man charged with felony theft in Florida, was denied a court-appointed attorney because Florida law only provided counsel for indigent defendants in capital cases. Gideon, unable to afford an attorney, represented himself at trial and was convicted. While in prison, he filed a handwritten petition to the Supreme Court, arguing that his constitutional right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment had been violated.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gideon, holding that the Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel for all criminal defendants, regardless of their ability to pay. The Court reasoned that a fair trial could not be guaranteed without proper legal representation, and that the assistance of counsel was essential for ensuring justice. This ruling applied to both federal and state courts, as the Court extended the right to state-level criminal cases through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause. The decision in Gideon v. Wainwright dramatically transformed the criminal justice system, ensuring that indigent defendants receive legal representation in all felony cases.