Gideon Vs Wainwright Case Study

I have always liked the right to counsel in criminal proceedings; I think this is a fundamental, but yet, forgotten right that we enjoy here in the United States. I think that the right of counsel should be protected because I believe that having counsel puts the defendant against law enforcement officials in an equal playing field. This advantage goes all the way from communication with the police to all the way to the courtroom. Also, the right to counsel is not only just the right to counsel because having the help of a lawyer can inform defendants on more rights, a great example is being advised to remain silent. A landmark case that exemplifies my belief about the right to counsel was on full display in
Gideon v. Wainwright. There are many cases in which the Supreme Court has …show more content…
It still brings up an interesting point that even if this isn’t happening all the time, it still is happening, and wasn’t the purpose of a case like Gideon to eliminate such a thing? I guess this is one of the few problems that were created when Gideon and similar cases were decided. I think, though, that the benefits of being represented by counsel outweigh all the negatives of not having counsel. I have always been a huge advocate of the idea that having a right is better than to not have it. The right to counsel truly is, in my opinion, the best way to level the playing field between the defendant and the law whether the defendant needs one in court, or if they need one before they answer any questions asked by the police. The Supreme Court now fully recognizes that the right to counsel is a fundamental right to a fair trial, and that was the difference between Gideon being a free man and him serving his full term of eight years in prison. Things like this only reminds that the United
States is the greatest country in the world, in my humble

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