The complete history of the pivotal legal battle before the Supreme Court that established the right to a public defender and reshaped the American justice system, written by a lawyer closely involved in the case
The “Gideon” Case offers an unparalleled inside view of the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright case, written by Bruce Jacob, the assistant attorney general who argued the case for the state of Florida in 1963. Clarence Earl Gideon, charged with a felony in Florida, could not afford a lawyer and petitioned the US Supreme Court for his right to a court-appointed lawyer. The court ruled unanimously in Gideon’s favor, creating the right to counsel for all indigent defendants facing criminal felony charges in every state in the union.
From the details of Gideon’s initial arrest in Florida to the momentous ruling in Washington, this book presents a close account of the courtroom scenes, constitutional debates, and personal transformations sparked by one of the most consequential decisions in Supreme Court history. After losing the case, Jacob, then in private practice, immediately became a volunteer public defender, and for the next 55 years as a law professor continued to provide free legal help to indigent defendants and appellants in criminal cases. With behind-the-scenes accounts of key figures, in-depth analysis of constitutional law, and a vivid portrayal of legal practice in the early 1960s, this book is an essential read for historians, legal scholars, and anyone intrigued by the workings of the US justice system.
By:
Bruce R. Jacob
Imprint: University Press of Florida
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 18mm
ISBN: 9780813079547
ISBN 10: 0813079543
Pages: 236
Publication Date: 17 February 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface: About the Gideon Case and the Author 1. History at My Door 2. The Crime and the Arrest 3. The Right to Counsel Colloquy 4. Gideon’s Trial, Conviction, and Sentence 5. Petition for Review to the Florida Supreme Court 6. The Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court 7. The Florida Attorney General’s Office 8. The Summer of 1962: Working on the Gideon Case 9. Marriage, the Holland Firm, and Completion of the Brief 10. The Right to Counsel Before Gideon 11. The Brief for the Petitioner 12. The Brief for the Respondent 13. The Oral Arguments in Washington, D.C. 14. The Supreme Court’s Decision 15. Florida’s Response and My Response 16. Appointment of Fred Turner to Represent Gideon 17. The Second Gideon Trial 18. The Gideon Legacy: Post-1963 Developments in the Law 19. Anthony Lewis and Gideon’s Trumpet 20. Aftermath I 21. Aftermath II: End of Story Acknowledgments Notes Index
Bruce R. Jacob is professor emeritus and dean emeritus at the Stetson University College of Law. In 1963, as assistant attorney general of Florida, Jacob argued and lost the Gideon v. Wainwright case before the US Supreme Court. He then became a law professor and dean of two law schools, taught constitutional law, founded legal assistance programs, and taught law students how to represent defendants in criminal cases.
