Which U.S. Supreme Court case established that the right to counsel applies to defendants in all criminal cases?

• A. Miranda v. Arizona
• B. Mapp v. Ohio
• C. Gideon v. Wainwright
• D. Brown v. Board of Education

Answer: (C)

Providing counsel to someone who cannot afford a lawyer is essential for a fair trial. Gideon v. Wainwright established that the state must appoint an attorney for indigent defendants in all criminal prosecutions, not just in the most serious cases. Decided in 1963, it involved Clarence Gideon, who represented himself after being denied counsel and was convicted; the Court ruled that lack of counsel violated due process and overturned the previous rule that only certain cases required a lawyer. This decision also applied the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, making the right universal across jurisdictions. In short, a fair trial depends on having effective legal representation, so the government must provide a lawyer whenever the defendant cannot afford one.