Gideon v. Wainwright
In 1961, state courts had to follow the Supreme Court's decision in Betts v. Brady. In this case, the Court ruled that if a defendant was charged with a capital crime, he had to be assigned a lawyer if he could not pay for one. However, as long as the defendant was not charged with a capital crime, the states did not have to assign free lawyers to every defendant who could not afford them. The Court ruled that having a lawyer was not a basic right, and was not necessary for a fair trial.