This year marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1962). In Gideon, the high court unanimously ruled that state courts are required to provide legal counsel for those defendants accused of a crime who cannot afford a lawyer.
The decision was premised on the Sixth Amendment, wherein the framers of the U.S. Constitution provided, "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to have the assistance of counsel for his defense."
