Gideon v. Wainwright

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with felony breaking and entering in Florida. He requested a court-appointed lawyer but was denied under state law. Forced to represent himself, he was convicted. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel applies to the states through the 14th Amendment.

Supreme Court Cases

Erlinger v. United States

Erlinger v. United States (2024)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the Supreme Court opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Erlinger was convicted under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), which imposes enhanced sentences for defendants with three prior convictions committed on “occasions different from one another.” The sentencing judge, not a jury, determined that Erlinger’s prior convictions were from separate occasions. The Supreme Court held this violated the Sixth Amendment: such facts must be found by a jury, unanimously, and proven beyond a reasonable doubt.