In 1961 a man was accused of stealing $5 and beer from a pool hall. Unable to afford an attorney, Clarence Earl Gideon was forced to represent himself. He was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison. He filed a habeas petition with the Florida Supreme Court attacking the conviction on the grounds that the court should have appointed him counsel. Florida, of course, denied the petition. Gideon filed suit against Louie L Wainwright, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections asserting that he had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to counsel (as applied to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment). The Supreme Court granted certiorari. The rest is history. Thousands were released from prisons in Florida as a result of the 1963 Gideon decision. Earl got another trial. This time he had the benefit of appointed counsel and he was acquitted. Gideon v. Wainwright spawned the creation of public defender systems countrywide. These systems represent our country...
Random and sometimes work-inspired musings of a criminal defense attorney. I hope I make you think. I hope I make you laugh.