Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court holding that the Sixth Amendment requires U.S. states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who cannot afford their own. The ruling extended the right to counsel, previously understood to bind only the federal government under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, to bind the states as well, with the Court reasoning that the assistance of counsel is one of the safeguards the Sixth Amendment deems necessary to secure the fundamental rights of life and liberty.
Facts
Key ProvisionDecided 1963: incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to counsel against the states, requiring appointed attorneys for indigent criminal defendants. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, 1963.
Sources
1. Gideon v. Wainwright (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires U.S. states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own.
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