Gideon v. Wainwright changed the way of due process. In 1963 Gideon was accused of breaking and entering a pool hall and stealing a small amount of money. Florida didn’t allow gideon a lawyer. He defended himself after being denied a request for free counsel. Later he was just found guilty. Gideon sued Louie L. Wainwright for habeas corpus.The decision was by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren that protected rights of accused criminals and extended the guaranteed the bill of Rights to state actions. Failure of the state to provide counsel for a defendant charged with a felony violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Gideon began a life of crime at a young age. Clarence Earl Gideon was born August 30, 1910 in
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“Appointment by the Supreme Court to represent a poor man is a great honor.” (Lewis 46). To be appointed to a poor man in a case like this is an excruciating opportunity for a lawyer anywhere in the country to appear before the Supreme Court. This significant chance comes with disadvantages, like the fact that there is no monetary compensation whatsoever. The court only pays the cost of the lawyer's transportation to Washington and home. There are no other arrangements for costs, not even a hotel room or clerical help. “The lawyer donates that most valuable commodity, his own time.” (Lewis 47). When the Gideon case was assigned to Fortas, he'd just turned fifty-two. On June 19, 1910 in Memphis, Fortas was born to a modest Jewish family. He went to Southwestern College in the local area and moved through the Yale law school. A colleague said of Fortas: “He values craftsmanship most highly. He is no sentimentalist, and he works for reform of the criminal law because he thinks it is right for society, not because of any illusions about criminals. But under his sobriety and detachment there is passionate conviction. He is an angry man… angry at injustice.” (Lewis