Gideon Trumpet - Anthony Lewis - Gideon vs., Wainwright
The book Gideon Trumpet, written by the author Anthony Lewis purposes at clarifying the fact that criminal defendants have the right to a representation by an attorney even if they cannot afford the costs. Therefore, according to Lewis, the court becomes directly obliged to incur the attorney's cost for as long as the case takes. To explain this legal fact, Lewis uses the case of Gideon vs., Wainwright to capture the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States giving criminal defendants this right to an attorney despite possibilities of financial constraints. The name Gideon's Trumpet depicts a twist of words derived from the defendant's last name. Furthermore, it cites Gideon's biblical story in which Gideon conquered a much large enemy camp using a comparatively small force. Gideon's tactics in the bible included the use of trumpets as well as torches concealed in numerous clay pots. During the event of the attack, the loud noise and the numerous lights tricked their enemies giving them a perception that Gideon's army was much larger than they had perceived. As a result, Gideon alongside his army won the fight without actually fighting their enemy.
Relevantly, the case of Gideon vs., Wainwright depicts the use of one individual to trigger the Supreme Court's decision to pass a right for every criminal defendant from that moment on to have a representing attorney. At the outset, the first chapter of the book illustrates Gideon's claim to the court. In support of the Gideon vs., Wainwright case, Lewis utilizes the case of Betts vs. Brady to illustrate a similar occurrence. For almost twenty years, the Supreme Court worked on this case whereby the justices endorsed the decision of a hierarchically lower court.
[...] The subsequent disability of the Supreme Court to draw clear rulings on certain issues leads to overturning of the lower court's outcomes. As a result, this triggers friction between the Supreme Court and the lower courts propelled by the lack of direction. Nonetheless, the Court denied Gideon an appointment of counsel to represent him in the case whereby he had been charged with breaking and entering purposed at committing petty theft. The book reveals Gideon as a man poor enough not to afford an attorney for himself. [...]
[...] The main idea of the author in this book was to show the struggle of one false fully accused defendant against the courts of the United States inclusive of the Supreme Court. Just as depicted in Gideon's bible story, facing, the Supreme Court was not as easy as many would perceive it. However, Gideon's determination and belief in himself led to his success and release towards the end of the book. Furthermore, the author utilizes several other cases whose defendants face the same disparity. [...]
[...] Lewis, A. (1964). Gideon's trumpet: (3. print.). New York: Random House. [...]
[...] Gideon's tactics in the bible included the use of trumpets as well as torches concealed in numerous clay pots. During the event of the attack, the loud noise and the numerous lights tricked their enemies giving them a perception that Gideon's army was much larger than they had perceived. As a result, Gideon alongside his army won the fight without actually fighting their enemy. Relevantly, the case of Gideon vs., Wainwright depicts the use of one individual to trigger the Supreme Court's decision to pass a right for every criminal defendant from that moment on to have a representing attorney. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
