I asked my husband who is a forensic psychologist. He stated this was a landmark case that established that anyone who is charged with a crime has the right to be represented by an attorney. Gideon was charged with petty theft and was forced to represent himself. He was sent to prison in Fla. The Supreme Court remanded the case back to the original trial judge. This time he was represented and acquited. Gideon filed his own handwritten writs with the S.C.
