Gideon v wainwright Supreme Court Decision and Reasoning Precedent Cases Powell v Alabama 1932 9 AfricanAmerican men arrested for rape could not hire a lawyer Found guilty appealed numerous time ID: 765682
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Gideon v wainwright Supreme Court Decision and Reasoning
Precedent Cases Powell v. Alabama (1932) – 9 African-American men arrested for rape – could not hire a lawyer. Found guilty, appealed numerous time. States must provide legal counsel in death penalty cases Betts v. Brady (1942) – Betts arrested for robbery and could not afford a lawyer – found guilty Court ruled that in extraordinary circumstances the state must provide counsel, but not in every situation. E.g., illiteracy, mental deficiency, etc. Gideon v. Wainwright: Should Betts be reconsidered?
Betts v Brady , 1942 Read the majority and minority opinions Record the arguments Made by Owens (Majority) and Black (Minority)
Gideon v Wainwright 1961
Gideon v Wainwright You are now the Supreme Court having to decide this question: Should the 14 th amendment provision of “due process” apply to all state laws? Should Betts v Brady be overturned and should every defendant be provided a lawyer if they can’t afford one? Record the arguments for Gideon and for the State of Florida on your sheet of paper. Make your decision on the two questions and support it with legal reasoning and factual evidence.
Supreme Court Decision Hugo Black (Justice who wrote dissenting opinion on Betts v Brady wrote the 9-0 decision stating two things: Every defendant should be granted a lawyer if they can’t afford one The 14 th amendment incorporates the Bill of Rights into it and applies to state laws.