Gideon v. Wainwright Case Assignment

Case Brief
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Case Brief
CASE
Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335, 83S. Ct. 792 (1963)
PROCEDURAL FACTS
Gideon was charged with breaking into a poolroom in a Florida state court. His intent was to carry out a misdemeanor, something that is considered a felony under Florida law (Prentzas, 2009). When he appeared before the state Court, Gideon informed the court that he was poverty-stricken, requesting the Court to appoint him a lawyer, and asserting that he was entitled to representation by counsel. The Court then informed Gideon that according to Florida law, only poor clients charged with capital offenses are allowed to court appointed counsel (Prentzas, 2009). It is here that Gideon proceeded to a jury trial, made an opening declaration, cross-examined the State’s witnesses, and called his individual witnesses. He also refused to give evidence himself and made a closing argument (Prentzas, 2009).
While serving his sentence, Gideon filed an appeal for habeas corpus attacking his conviction and sentence on the basis of the trial court’s rejection to warrant him counsel denied his constitutional rights and rights allowed to him under the Bill of Rights (Prentzas, 2009). The Florida State Supreme Court denied relief. Furthermore, since the issue of an accused person’s constitutional right to an advocate in state court continued to be a controversial subject since Betts v. Brady, the U.S. Supreme Court approved certiorari to again evaluation the issue (Prentzas, 2009).
SUBSTANTIVE FACTS
Clarence Early Gideon is considered to have been an unlikely hero. He was a man who possessed an 8th grade education and who ran away from home when in middle school (Prentzas, 2009). Most of Gideon’s life was spent as a drifter, spending most occasions in and out of prisons for nonviolent crimes.
ISSUE
The main issue in this particular case...