How did the Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) expand an individual's due process rights?

Question 14 options:

It required police to inform suspects of their right to remain silent.

It ruled that the death penalty must be applied fairly across all cases.

It guaranteed the right to a lawyer, even if the defendant cannot afford one.

It prohibited unreasonable searches and seizures in schools.

1 answer

The Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) expanded an individual's due process rights by ruling that it guaranteed the right to a lawyer, even if the defendant cannot afford one. This landmark decision reinforced the principle that legal representation is essential for a fair trial, thereby extending the Sixth Amendment's rights to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.