When looking at the overview of the Gideon’s Trumpet movie, it may come across as the Supreme Court helping a man who could not adequately defend himself. However, many of the people involved in the process of getting Gideon’s case to the Supreme Court focus on their own personal agenda. Although none of their motives were corrupt, there were many instances of people looking out for only themselves, a use of classic liberalism. Obviously Clarence Earl Gideon had a reason to appeal to the Supreme Court, because regardless of either innocent or guilty, he believed he was denied his basic right to counsel. As shown in the Gideon’s Trumpet movie, while in prison Gideon kept to himself and with the exception of the one man who had been in prison for 20 years, Gideon did not want to help any of the other inmates. The lawyer assigned to his case was looking to make history by having his case heard by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Justices were looking for a case to overturn Betts v Brady, and Gideon just happen to be the case that was used. Through this use of…
Armarcion D. Henderson v. The United States of America, 11-9307 (2011) Retrieved from sblog.s3.amaxonaws.com Academic database < http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/11-9307-Henderson-v.-U.S.-Petition.pdf>…
A. After Gideon v. Wainwright established a right to counsel for indigent felony defendants, courts have wrestled with four areas:…
Imagine how hard life was for colored people back then. How one couldn’t even receive a fair trial because of someone’s color or ethnicity. How is was virtually impossible for them to receive a fair trial without people using stereotypes to structure their judgment. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates many conflicts, one being the beating and rape of a white woman by a black man, which back then was punishable by death. With this case, a man by the name of Atticus accepts to defend the man who is accused : Tom Robinson. Atticus has to endure what the society throws at him, along with his two children : Jem and Scout. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee reveals, by using characters and characters’ actions and choices, it is morally correct to stand up and do the right thing. Without someone pointing out what is wrong with the society, things will never change for the better.…
References: Civilrights.org. (2002, April 13). Justice on trial. Washington, DC: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/Leadership Conference on Civil RightsEducation Fund. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from Civilrights.org Web site: http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/cj/…
The Supreme Court decided that having counsel is necessary to receive a fair trial. “Gideon transformed criminal prosecutions and generated significant funding for indigent defense nationally.” (273; WEB) Such funding provides all indigents with a defense attorney at the State level regardless of any special circumstances or the severity of the crime. Gideon’s case changed the way the 6th and 14th Amendments were interpreted thus the Federal powers forced the States to recognize this need for all defendants regardless of their incomes to receive a fair trial by way of free legal…
An accusation based off of circumstantial evidence, a charismatic witness, and a life-changing conviction were only a few of the elements that caused major tension in the courtroom on July 19th. If you’re one of the few that didn’t come out to hear the gossip material of the year, we have all the juicy and intriguing details.…
Gary is afraid of looking like a ‘gutless wonder’ in front of everyone in the town.…
On the morning of June 8, 1964, the sheriff of Gila County, Arizona took into custody one Gerald Gault, without notifying his parents, after his neighbor, Mrs. Ora Cook, reported receiving a offense and inappropriate phone call from the 15 year old boy. Once his mother found out where he was, the county’s Children’s Detention Home, she was not permitted to take him home. According to Gault, it was his friend Ronald Lewis who made the phone call and once Gault heard Lewis talking on the phone in such a matter he took the phone from Lewis, hung it up, and sent him out the door. Gault was not informed of his charges, he was not given the option to an attorney, he was also not given the opportunity to question of even face his accuser. Once Gault was released from the Detention Center, the Dean center his mother a notification informing her when Gault’s hearing would be. At the hearing, Judge McGhee ruled that the boys behavior was that of an delinquent child and was sentenced to 6 years in a juvenile detention center. After receiving this sentence, his mother went to the Arizona supreme court which “vigorously cross-examined McGhee’s actions. He justified his actions by providing the 2 reasons and their basis as to why the boy was ruled delinquent. The supreme court upheld him, and her appeal, denied. She then went to the supreme court for help. She stated that Gault was not informed of his charges nor was he told of his rights to counsel, to confront the accuser, or to remain silent. She also said that she was not properly informed of the boy’s hearing and the fact that the court admitted a “unsworn hearsay testimony” and did not keep any records of the proceedings. The supreme court ruled 8-1 in Gault’s favor, stating that this was a clear violation of Gerald Gault’s 6th Amendment…
Gideon did a horrible job of defending himself in court. He was found guilty of breaking and entering and petty larceny, which was a felony. Gideon was sentenced to five years in Florida State prison mostly due to his prior past record. The while he was in prison, Gideon began to study up on the law and he soon came to believe that his sixth amendment rights had been violated. This led Gideon to file a petition for Habeas Corpus with the supreme court in Florida. His petition stated that he had been imprisoned illegally. After the Supreme Court of Florida rejected his petition, he hand wrote a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United…
Everyday people around the nation are brought to trial. The litigants may or may not have sufficient resources, but are still entitled to a fair trial under the Sixth Amendment. Clarence Earl Gideon was accused of felony by the state of Florida and did not have the money for attorney representation. Instead, Gideon had to approach the Florida court system blinded by the rules of litigation and unaware of the processes of making an argument. He was helpless and could not win the battle, eventually being sentenced to five years in prison. In America, people are supposed to be treated equal in the eyes of the law, yet Gideon’s circumstance was unjust. As he ultimately reached the Supreme Court of the United States, Gideon was given an attorney. However, here he challenged the state of Florida for his rights. According to Marc Galanter, there is no way that Gideon should have won the appeal in the Supreme Court. Gideon was a one-shooter, lacking resources. Despite Gideon’s loss in the state court, he still won his appeal in federal court system, shaping the law to impact society and showing that “the haves” do not “always come out ahead”.…
As a juror, I would find that Clarence was a supervisor. That his actions were sexual harassment, and there was a hostile work environment.…
I walked into the court room, and looked at the jury, they were all white, I knew that it would have to be a miracle to get the jury to come back with the verdict that Tom Robinson was innocent. But I had a plan. If the trial goes well, I will appeal against the verdict, and then the court case will go to another place, where the jury won't be so biased against black people.…
I remembered the moment when I was faced with a dire situation, when I was assistant coaching our local Jr. High Football team. The game was Lowell v.s Gilchrist. It was early in the 3rd quarter when we witnessed one of the players falling without getting hit. The coaches on the other team scrabbled to aid the young athlete, yet they didn’t understand was wrong. I came over to assistant, yet was pushed away, probably because I was only 16 and didn’t look like I could really help. Then I noticed the 6th grader twitching and realized that he was in anaphylactic shock. That’s when I suddenly asserted my place and started barking out orders. Within moments I was in charge and I took over on the care of the child. A woman that came over (I assumed…
Clarence Gideon was charged with breaking an entry in Florida, when Gideon showed up to court without an attorney because he could not afford one he asked the judge could he be appointed an attorney to represent him. Gideon represented himself, he was found…