Which case established the right to counsel for indigent defendants?

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

Answer: (C)

The right to counsel for indigent defendants means that when someone cannot afford a lawyer, the state must provide one to ensure a fair trial. Gideon v. Wainwright established that the Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel in criminal cases, and that this protection extends to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment. Before Gideon, the Court had allowed state governments to appoint counsel only in limited circumstances (a departure from a universal guarantee). Gideon overruled that approach, ruling that a fair trial cannot proceed effectively without legal representation, so a defendant who cannot afford an attorney must be provided one at public expense. This decision fundamentally strengthened due process by ensuring that lack of money does not deny someone a fair chance to defend themselves.

For context, the case arose when Clarence Earl Gideon, charged with a serious crime, could not afford a lawyer and was forced to defend himself, resulting in a conviction. He petitioned the Supreme Court, which sided with him and mandated that states provide counsel in all such criminal prosecutions. The other cases law it in different directions: Mapp v. Ohio deals with the exclusion of illegally obtained evidence, Miranda v. Arizona establishes police warnings upon questioning, and Brown v. Board of Education holds that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.