Legal News for Tues 3/18 - Ninth Circuit Vacancy, Judge Questions Venezuelan Deportations, Doctor Deported Over Alleged Hezbollah Connection
This Day in Legal History: Gideon v. Wainwright
On March 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, fundamentally reshaping the American legal system. The case began when Clarence Earl Gideon, a Florida man accused of burglary, was denied a court-appointed attorney because state law only provided counsel for capital cases. Forced to represent himself, Gideon was convicted and sentenced to prison. From his jail cell, he handwrote a petition to the Supreme Court, arguing that his Sixth Amendment rights had been violated. The Court unanimously agreed…
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