Gideon is not a man one necessarily finds admirable, given his past life of crime. But simply because someone does not personally approve of a defendant, does not mean that the defendant should be found guilty because of their lack of legal expertise. Just because someone is poor, or has committed a crime in the past, does not mean that they should be denied their rights. They should be viewed in the same way the law as someone who is wealthy, and to make a case in the adversarial system of justice requires the legal knowledge of an attorney.
The book paints a picture of America that is, at least in terms of its temperament, much more liberal than it is today. The U.S. Supreme Court under Chief Justice Warren was far more open-minded about the idea of expanding defendant's rights. Even many of the states supported the idea of a right to counsel for the indigent, as State's Attorney Generals reasoned that providing defendants with legal representation was cheaper in the long run than navigating a lengthy appellate process, as defendants contested their cases.
In jail,...
Gideon appealed based upon the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel, both of which he said he had been denied because he had no money to secure legal representation. The issues of a right to counsel may not arise soon again in the media for citizens, but questions of what constitutes defendant's rights in the military courts is currently under contention, and this makes the book an important document to read for all citizens. The ability and willingness of the American system to change, when it is questioned by one man, is a heartening reminder of the compassion and honest heights our system can aspire to, when challenged by even the humblest of American citizens.
Works Cited
Lewis, Anthony. Gideon's Trumpet. New York: Vintage, 1989.
