Sixth Amendment: Right to An Attorney Cases

Powell v Alabama (1932)

The Court established that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees defendants in death penalty cases the right to an attorney.

Gideon v Wainwright (1963)

The Court ruled that in state trials, those who cannot afford an attorney will have one provided by the state, overturning Betts v. Brady.

Betts v Brady (1942)

The Court ruled that poor defendants in noncapital cases are not entitled to an attorney at government expense.

Escobedo v Illinois (1964)

The Supreme Court extended the exclusionary rule to illegal confessions in state court cases. The Court also defined the "Escobedo rule," which stated that persons have the right to an attorney when an investigation begins "to focus on a particular suspect." If the suspect has been arrested, has requested an attorney, and has not been warned of his or her right to remain silent, the suspect has been "denied council in violation of the Sixth Amendment."