7. what were the major points made by abe fortas, gideon's lawyer for his supreme court hearing?+

by Prof. Lupe O'Keefe 8 min read

What was Gideon's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court?

Gideon sought relief from his conviction by filing a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Florida Supreme Court. In his petition, Gideon challenged his conviction and sentence on the ground that the trial judge's refusal to appoint counsel violated Gideon's constitutional rights.

What did the Supreme Court decide in Gideon v Wainwright?

Wainwright. On March 18, 1963, the United States Supreme Court announced that people accused of crimes have a right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one. That case, which came from Florida, revolutionized criminal law throughout the United States.Mar 1, 2021

What rights did Abe Fortas Gideon's attorney argue were being violated?

After Gideon was sentenced to 5 years in prison, he argued that Florida violated the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of the right to counsel.

What happened in the Gideon v Wainwright case quizlet?

Wainwright (1963) - Government must pay for a lawyer for defendants who cannot afford one themselves. - 14th Amendment says that states shall not "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."

What did the Supreme Court order in Gideon v Wainwright quizlet?

In Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires the states to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot afford lawyers themselves.

Why did Abe Fortas argue that to be fair the criminal justice system in the United States required assistance of counsel for the defendant?

Why did Abe Fortas argue that to be fair, the criminal justice system in the United States required assistance of counsel for the defendant? The criminal justice system is adversarial which means that both the prosecution and defense work to present the best possible case and then let the jury decide.

What was the verdict in Gideon's Trumpet?

At his second trial, which took place in August 1963, with a court-appointed lawyer representing him and bringing out for the jury the weaknesses in the prosecution's case, Gideon was acquitted.

What is Fortas argument to the Justices regarding right to counsel?

In our brief, Fortas argued that the "special circumstances" rule should not be supported even by those Justices who were sensitive to "states' rights" and reluctant to expand the reach of the Fourteenth Amendment.

How long has it been since the Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright?

It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. 1 At the Supreme Court and in the Circuit Court for Bay County, Fla., where Clarence Gideon received a second trial after his case was remanded by the Court, he received excellent representation by three outstanding lawyers - Abe Fortas, Abe Krash, and W. Fred Turner. There were others involved on his side, but these three were his primary advocates. Fortas and Krash represented him before the Supreme Court, and Turner was his lawyer when he was acquitted at the second trial. As we enter the 50th anniversary of Gideon, it is important to remember the contributions these lawyers made to this historic case. I have had the privilege of knowing these men and would like to say a few words about them.

Who was the attorney for Clarence Gideon?

On June 25, 1962, the Supreme Court appointed Abe Fortas to represent Clarence Gideon in the case then known as Gideon v Cochran. 5 I was the attorney for the state of Florida in the case.

What color suit did Fortas wear?

When White Motor Company ended and our case was called, Fortas suddenly appeared. My first glimpse of him was seeing him as he approached the podium and began to speak. He was wearing a brown suit, rather than the coat and tails worn by some lawyers who often appear in the Supreme Court. (I was wearing a dark blue suit.) He was in his early 50s, short and dapper-looking, with an unusual, deep voice. Anthony Lewis described him in the book, Gideon’s Trumpet:

What is the McNaghten test in Durham v. United States?

United States,3 Fortas persuaded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to adopt an innovative test for insanity in criminal cases, based almost entirely on medical evidence. Durham abandoned the McNaghten test, 4 followed in many common law jurisdictions, and adopted the rule for the District of Columbia in which a defendant was considered not responsible if, at the time of committing the act, he was suffering from a mental disease and the act was a product of that disease. The Durham decision is no longer followed, even though some would argue that it was the best test ever conceived for determining whether a defendant should be acquitted of a criminal offense on the ground of insanity at the time the criminal act took place.

How many jurors were there in Gideon's second trial?

When the six prospective jurors were placed in the jury box in Gideon’s second trial, Turner knew four of them. He struck two of them from the panel because one was a “teetotaler” who had no sympathy for drinkers, and the other “would convict his own grandmother.” 29 These two were replaced by two more jurors, both of whom Turner knew. 30 Turner was very satisfied with the final six jurors. Of the six jurors, three were gamblers. This was particularly helpful because Gideon’s explanation for having so much change in his pockets when arrested for breaking and entering the Bay Harbor Poolroom with intent to take beer, wine, and coins from the cigarette machine and juke box was that he had won it while gambling. 31

What test did Durham abandon?

Durham abandoned the McNaghten test, 4 followed in many common law jurisdictions, and adopted the rule for the District of Columbia in which a defendant was considered not responsible if, at the time of committing the act, he was suffering from a mental disease and the act was a product of that disease.

Which amendment gave the right to counsel in felony cases?

Fortas and Krash further argued that the right to appointment of counsel in felony cases had risen to the level of a fundamental right in the years since 1942, and it was only appropriate to extend an absolute right to counsel to state, as well as federal, cases through the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment .

Why does the Supreme Court review cases?

Supreme court agrees to review a case to see if it's not fair.

When is a lawyer constitutionally required?

The only time a lawyer is constitutionally required is when without one the trial would be unfair.

Did Gideon have a lawyer?

The first trial Gideon didn't have a lawyer so the trial was unfair. In the second trial he had a lawyer and that was fair

Who was the attorney who represented Gideon in the Supreme Court case?

On January 15, 1963, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Gideon v. Wainwright. Abe Fortas , a Washington, D.C., attorney and future Supreme Court justice, represented Gideon for free before the high court. He eschewed the safer argument that Gideon was a special case because he had only had an eighth-grade education.

Why did Gideon v Cochran get a writ of habeas corpus?

Gideon subsequently petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus from the Florida Supreme Court, arguing that, because he had not had an attorney, he had been denied a fair trial. The suit was originally Gideon v. Cochran; the latter name referred to H.G. Cochran, Jr., the director of Florida’s Division of Corrections.

What was Gideon v. Wainwright?

Wainwright, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 18, 1963, ruled (9–0) that states are required to provide legal counsel to indigent defendants charged with a felony. ...

What did Fortas say about the Constitution?

Instead, Fortas asserted that no defendant, however competent or well educated, could provide an adequate self-defense against the state and that the U.S. Constitution ensured legal representation to all defendants charged with felonies.

Which Supreme Court case established the right of indigent defendants to a court-appointed attorney?

…accused in such cases as Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), which established the right of indigent defendants to a court-appointed attorney, and Miranda v. Arizona (1966), which specified a code of conduct for police interrogations of criminal suspects held in custody. After the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of… …

Which case ruled that states must provide legal counsel to indigent defendants charged with a felony?

Gideon v. Wainwright, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states must provide legal counsel to indigent defendants charged with a felony.

What case did Gideon file?

At the time, the Supreme Court had already dealt with several cases concerning the right to counsel. In Powell v. Alabama (1932)—which involved the “ Scottsboro Boys ,” nine black youths who had been ...

What does Gideon do in Judges 6:18?

Gideon employed his fellowship with God. He made God his strength the conversation in (Judges 6:18) look so affectionate and real. GIDEON RETURNS GLORY TO GOD (JUDGES 8:23) After God has delivered the people through Gideon the people tried to give him the credit he immediately returned it to God.

What was the first task God gave Gideon?

IDOLATRY IS A SIN. The first task God gave Gideon was to destroy the altar of Baal. Israel has fallen short of God’s glory going into idolatry Gideon obeyed God and destroy all the altars of Baal. The Baal worshippers were enraged God really hates idolatry and we should never give in to the worship of idol.

What was the criteria for the disqualification of part of the army of Gideon?

One of the criteria for the disqualification of part o the army of Gideon was that there were not watchful. As someone rightly said, “the army was too large to fulfill God’s purpose” the ones who past the test where the ones who were careful and watchful , though Gideon’s army were outnumbered God gave them victory.

How many men did Gideon have?

You will be shocked to see Gideon going into battle with 300 men from human statistics and analysis that number cannot win a war, but God chose that number out of the 32,000 to prove himself as the Almighty. God can always turn our weakness to strength we saw him did it for Gideon and his 300 men.

Abe Fortas

Abe Krash

  • Abe Krash was a partner of Abe Fortas at Arnold, Fortas & Porter.20 He was the principal lawyer with Fortas on the brief in the Gideoncase. In their brief, the petitioners argued that a defendant in a criminal case cannot effectively prepare a defense and defend himself or herself at trial. Usually, an indigent is in jail and, therefore, is unable ...
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W. Fred Turner

  • Fred Turner is the Bay County, Fla., criminal defense lawyer who represented Clarence Gideon at his second trial after the Supreme Court had ruled with Gideon and had remanded the case. Judge Robert McCrary, the circuit judge who tried Clarence Gideon both times, asked Gideon which lawyer he wanted. Turner was known as the best criminal defense lawyer in that area, and Gideo…
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Conclusion

  • Clarence Gideon did not have a lawyer at his first trial, in 1961, but from that point on he had the very best representation that our legal system could provide. He was assisted in his case by the American Civil Liberties Union,57 which was an amicus in the case, and by the attorneys general of 22 states, who filed an amicus brief in his behalf in the Supreme Court,58 and by others includ…
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Notes

  1. 372 U.S. 335 (1963).
  2. This information was obtained from Wikipedia.
  3. 214 F.2d 862 (D.C. Cir. 1954).
  4. Daniel McNaghten’s Case, 8 Eng. Rep 718 (1843). Under this test, to establish a defense based on insanity it must be proven that, at the time of committing the act the defendant was labori…
  1. 372 U.S. 335 (1963).
  2. This information was obtained from Wikipedia.
  3. 214 F.2d 862 (D.C. Cir. 1954).
  4. Daniel McNaghten’s Case, 8 Eng. Rep 718 (1843). Under this test, to establish a defense based on insanity it must be proven that, at the time of committing the act the defendant was laboring under...

A Conversation with Bruce R. Jacob

  • Bruce Jacob, who represented Florida before the U.S. Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright, has handled countless pro bono cases during his career. In addition to writing a profile of Clarence Gideon’s lawyers, he agreed to answer a few questions about the case and about the state of indigent defense. The Champion: When you argued Gideon v. Wainwrightin the Supreme Court, d…
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