Who won the Gideon v. Wainwright case?

Answer 1

Clarence Earl Gideon won. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court held that Gideon had been denied due process when he was refused his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, and had been unjustly convicted in his first trial. The case was remanded to the Florida state courts for a new trial. The jury in the second trial deliberated only one hour before acquitting Gideon.

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision, indigent felony defendants must receive free counsel.

Case Citation:

Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 US 335 (1963)

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Answer 2

Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 US 335 (1963)

Answer

The nominal defendant of Gideon v. Wainwright was Louie L. Wainwright, Secretary to the Florida Department of Corrections. Wainwright's predecessor, H. G. Cochran, Jr., was the original defendant, but vacated office before the case reached the US Supreme Court.

The reason Wainwright is named as the defendant is that state sovereign immunity prevents parties from suing the state itself. The state official who has legal authority over the part of government responsible for the dispute may be sued by name, allowing the plaintiff an opportunity for injunctive relief (help from the court in the form of an order requiring the official to take, or cease, an action), while protecting the state from monetary claims against it.

Answer

Louie L. Wainwright (born 11 September 1923) was Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections from 1962 to 1987, more than a quarter of a century

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Answer 3

Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 US 335 (1963)

Wainwright is not the plaintiff, but the respondent (like a defendant), in Gideon v. Wainwright, (1963). The plaintiff/petitioner's name is always listed first; the defendant/respondent's name is listed second.

The plaintiff, or petitioner, was Clarence Earl Gideon, who was sentenced to prison on a felony conviction after being denied the assistance of a court-appointed attorney. Gideon was too poor to afford his own lawyer, and Florida law only required the state to provide counsel for capital (death penalty) cases.

The nominal defendant, or respondent, in the case was was Louie L. Wainwright, Secretary to the Florida Department of Corrections. Wainwright's predecessor, H. G. Cochran, Jr., was the original defendant, but vacated office before the case reached the US Supreme Court.

Gideon brought suit against Wainwright as a proxy for the state of Florida because he'd been forced to defend himself in court (pro se) against an experienced prosecutor, which unconstitutionally deprived him of a fair trial.

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Answer 4

Clarence Earl Gideon