In what year did the Supreme Court decide Gideon v. Wainwright, guaranteeing the right to counsel for indigent defendants?

• A. 1966
• B. 1963
• C. 1967
• D. 1961

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the right to counsel is fundamental and extends to indigent defendants in criminal trials. Gideon v. Wainwright held that when a defendant cannot afford an attorney, the state must provide one, at least for serious crimes. The Court connected this to the Sixth Amendment and applied it to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause, so fair trial protections aren’t limited to wealthier defendants. Before this decision, many poor defendants faced trials without counsel in non-capital cases, which could lead to unfair outcomes. The ruling spurred the growth of public defender systems nationwide and reshaped how indigent defense is handled in the United States. The decision was issued in 1963.