History Of The Day - Landmark US Supreme Court Decision Guarantees Right to Counsel (1963)

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After he was accused of breaking into a bar in Florida in 1961, Clarence Gideon was unable to afford a lawyer and was forced to defend himself. Sentenced to five years in prison, he had ample time to study the law, and he began petitioning the courts with the claim that his right to legal counsel had been violated. In 1963, the US Supreme Court agreed with him, establishing that state courts were required to provide attorneys for poor defendants. What happened when Gideon was retried? Discuss



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