- 1963
- Clarence Earl Gideon lacked the funds to hire a lawyer for defense against the charges of a felony for breaking and entering that were being held against him. Gideon requested that an attorney be appointed for him, but the court refused, stating that it was only to appoint counsel to indignent defendants in capital cases. After defending himself in trial, Gideon was convicted and the court sentenced him to five years in prison. Gideon filed a habeas corpus petition, or a petition for the release from unjust imprisonment, to the Florida Supreme Court. They denied his petition, so Gideon appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Gideon's conviction was unconstitutional because Gideon was denied the right to a defense lawyer at trial. This right is protected by the Sixth Amendment.
- Gideon v. Wainwright established the right of indigent defendants to have a court appointed attorney. It also led to the establishment of public defenders' offices across the country.