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What was the lasting effect of the Clarence Earl Gideon trials?

The two trials of Clarence Earl Gideon resulted in the guarantee that a person who has been accused of a crime must be represented by a lawyer. Gideon was arrested and charged with robbing a cigarette machine and jukebox in Panama City, Florida, and in 1961 he was found guilty. While serving a prison sentence Gideon petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case on appeal, arguing that he had not received a fair trial (guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution) because he was too poor to hire a lawyer to represent him. At this time the Supreme Court was especially interested in cases pertaining to unfair trials. When the Supreme Court heard Gideon's case (known as Gideon v. Wainright) in 1963, it agreed with his conclusions, stating in part that "Any person hauled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer,...

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