Customer Reviews

Gideon's Trumpet

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Clarence Earl Gideon, petty thief, did at least two things right in his life. He preserved his record by requesting the appointment of a lawyer for him, and he filed a timely petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.

Ironically, although the Florida courts denied Gideon legal represention, the Justices appointed Abe Fortas, soon to be one of their brothers, to argue his cause. His victory, forever establishing the right of the poor to counsel in felony cases in America, was one of the landmark cases of the Warren Court.

As importantly, this book illustrates law at the human level. This is where practioners routinely encounter it. Cases studied in law school are sterile, stripping the humanity and drama from the litigants, and replacing them with rules of decision and conduct necessary for societal regulation. The distillation of fact contained within an appellate decision, even a landmark, pales in comparison to the human beings who create the cause.

Anthony Lewis's book should point law students and young lawyers to the deeper lessons of practice. Law is about people; and we, as lawyers, are their servants.

Gideon's Trumpet is an eloquent and informative look at a very important story in the history of the United States legal system. Not only will it teach you about the evolution of the right to counsel from the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, but it teaches you much about the practices, intricacies and eccentricities of the Supreme Court and its members. This book should be considered essential and required reading for all law students. I loved it and learned much from it.

Clarence Earl Gideon would have been less than an historical footnote had he not written to the U.S. Supreme Court asking for, in essence, a "get out of jail free" card. Gideon, who would be a career criminal by contemporary definitions, was in a Florida jail for breaking and entering with intent to commit a misdemeanor. In his letter to the nation's highest court, Gideon wrote in pencil that his constitutional rights were violated when he was denied the right to have an attorney at his trial. In the end, the Supreme Court agreed with Gideon and reversed a prior decision to hold that people in Gideon's position (but not all accused persons) are entitled to the assistance of a lawyer and to have the state pay for one if necessary.

"Gideon's Trumpet" tells the story of one man's improbable battle and the Court's ultimate decision in his favor. Author Anthony Lewis has done a remarkable job of putting a human face (several, actually) on one of the landmark cases in criminal procedure and in making the story accessible to any adult regardless of a lack of formal legal training. In "Gideon's Trumpet," Lewis presents all of the characters as humans, not simply as people whose names later stand for legal rules (a la Miranda). "Gideon's Trumpet" also represents a ray of hope for those who think the legal system is solely the prerogative of the wealthy and politically connected, for here is the story of a virtual nobody who without the help of an attorney undertook a monumental process. In fact, "Gideon's Trumpet" might be a bit too optimistic. Written in 1964, the book could not have foreseen the subsequent studies that have shown that *Gideon v. Wainright* (the name of the case) has not substantially altered conviction rates. Still, the book tells a remarkable story quite well. Perhaps the highest praise is that this true story reads as a novel.

This is a fantastic story about one man's struggle for justice. Gideon was a poor, career criminal who was denied counsel in Florida for a charge of petty theft who challenged his right to an attorney all the way to the Supreme Court.

Like all court cases, there are long, human stories that lead up to the actual trial, but unfortunately those are seldom told and the only record we are left with is court opinions. In this book, however, a New York Times reporter did a staggering amount of research to present Gideon's personal history, as well as the development of his case, the preparation of his lawyers, the actual legal machinations that led to him winning his case before the Court. It is triumphant and interesting story for most readers, but it is also very educational and inspirational for aspiring lawyers who really don't understand the way the law works in the real world and needs a reminder that the law is really about helping people. I would highly recommend this book.

As Lewis documents the events surrounding the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, perhaps the most important case of the Warren Court era, he provides us with an easy-to-read yet insightful look at the workings of the Supreme Court and the interaction, and sometimes tension, between the federal and state courts. Lewis also provides a thoughtful commentary on the legitimacy of rules that issue from the courts as opposed to those that issue from our legislatures and in doing so, he provides his reader with a perspective of the Court's role in our democracy. This book made everything I learned in law school all the more clear. It is a wonderful explanation of American criminal and constitutional law for those who have legal training and for those who do not. Both readers will find Gideon's Trumpet accessible but also intellectually challenging.

Links aspects of basic American History, Supreme Court History, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, and interesting litigation in a non-text, easy read format. Very very rare in law books to be this interesting, well written, didactic, AND entertaining.

Gideon's Trumpet is a marvelous true story of how a poor man new in his heart his rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and fought for those rights, by himself from prison. It recounts the incredible events surrounding the landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright. While beautifully describing the uphill battle that Clarence Earl Gideon faced, the author enlightens the viewer with the essential roles of the different branches of government and of the basic but crucial processes that they endure. A great book for anyone who has had any interest in the law or government. A must for law students.

Clarence Earl Gideon was a poor prisoner in Florida who, one day, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court of the United States. His plea was a simple one. "I requested the court to appoint me an attorney, and the court refused," he explained. In "Gideon's Trumpet," Lewis presents an unparallelled account of the case Gideon v. Wainright, which resulted in a requirement for states to make Public Defenders available to all accused. Sparing no detail, he gives the reader a look into the lives of attorneys, Supreme Court Justices, and Clarence Earl Gideon himself. This inspirational novel is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what it means to seek justice

This outstanding book dissects Gideon v. Wainright, the landmark 1963 Supreme Court case which held that indigent criminal defendants are entitled to legal counsel at government expense. Lewis tells the story from the viewpoints of the lawyers, the judges, and Gideon himself. He mixes legal history with human interest stories; his writing is unfailingly clear; and he provides a wonderful primer on Supreme Court litigation. The particular issues in Gideon are no longer of burning public interest, but the broad message that our criminal justice system must protect basic human rights is more relevant than ever in 2005. Lawyers and laymen alike will enjoy the book. Six stars.

Gideon's Trumpet is an account of Clarence Earl Gideon -- an indigent prisoner who took his Habeas case to the Supreme Court and spawned the 60's federal and state movement to establish legal representation for the outcast. His case, Gideon vs. Wainwright (1963), resulted in the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to overturn a 21-year-old ruling in Betts vs. Brady, and secured the right of legal representation for the accused who do not have the means to pay for a counsel in the United States.

Previous to the Gideon ruling, the Supreme Court had determined that the states should, more or less, decide whether or not the accused needed representation. As a result, in many instances, the lack of a specific federal position and ambiguous guidelines allowed the states to legally prosecute indigent defendants without offering them any legal protection. That is, until Clarence Gideon managed to take his case all the way upto the highest court in the U.S. and win.

Although the case history is significant in its own right, Gideon's Trumpet is narrated with enough sidenotes about the judicial process and social context that it offers a broad meaningful look at the legal system for the general public. Of all the dry, law-related books that are out there, this is one of the rare few that I can safely recommend to my friends.