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Gideon v. Wainwright

Judicial Decisions and Rulings

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
Year
1963 1
Key Provision
Decided 1963: incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to counsel against the states, requiring appointed attorneys for indigent criminal defendants. 1
Classification
Document Type
Court Ruling or Judicial Opinion 1
Original Language
English 2
Connections

Associated With

Supreme Court of the United States, Institutions

Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, 1963.

Source Gideon v. Wainwright (Wikipedia)

Drafted By

Hugo Black, Political Figures
Source Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
Sources
1. Gideon v. Wainwright (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • 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.
  • Document type, description
    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.
  • In Group: United States Supreme Court Decisions of 1900 to 1999, Lead paragraph
    Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that 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.
View the Source
2. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law SchoolOpinion of the Court
Quote, Opinion of the Court
Justice BLACK delivered the opinion of the Court
View the Source
Wikidata: Gideon v. Wainwright
Wikidata Q5559684, class allow-list match, case-insensitive label variant (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/resolve_ci.ps1)View the Source
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