Gideon's Trumpet Summary

The Robbery

The movie Gideon's Trumpet told the story of of Clarance Earl Gideon and the court-case of Gideon vs. Wainwright. Gideon was accused of breaking into a pool room and stealing some wine, beer, cigarettes, coca-cola, and change from the register. When the pool hall was robbed, a man standing outside said that he saw Gideon leave with a bottle of wine. Later, when Gideon was questioned by the a policeman, he was carrying a lot of change in his pockets. Gideon was arrested at that time.

The Trial

On the day of his trial, Gideon did not have a lawyer. He asked the judge to appoint him a lawyer but his request was denied. This was because Florida law stated that only defendants in capitol cases would be appoint a lawyer unless it was a special circumstance. After he was denied his request for a lawyer he had no choice but to represent himself. He tried to defend himself, to no avail. He was not able to prove to the jury that he was not guilty and they proceeded to convict him. The judge sentenced him to five years in prison because he had four prior convictions. While in prison, he studied the law to try gain enough knowledge to appeal his conviction. He believed that he had an unfair and unconstitutional trial.

The Appeal

After much research, Gideon sent an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court justices reviewed the appeal and took into consideration that this trail could overturn Betts vs. Brady. After much deliberation, the justices decided that they would hear the case. Gideon received the good news while he was still in prison and was soon released so that he could prepare for his new trial.

The Second Trial

Though he was glad to be out of prison, he felt that he should not have to face another trial because it would constitute double jeopardy. However, he did in fact have to have the second trial. For this new trial he was appointed an ACLU lawyer to represent him. This was not what Gideon  wanted though. He told the judge that he did not want the ACLU lawyer and that instead, he wanted a layer that he knew. This request was sustained and the lawyer that Gideon knew was appointed to represent him. This lawyer did a great job defending Gideon in court, much better than Gideon could ever do. During the trial it was made obvious that Gideon did not actually rob the pool hall, though during the first trial it really seemed like he did. It was also revealed that the person who really did rob the pool hall was the one person that supposedly witnessed the crime. Gideon said that the reason that he was carrying so much change with him at the time of his arrest was because he was a gambler.

The Verdict

The jury deliberated and came back with the verdict. Gideon was found to be not guilty. Proceeding the court case Gideon asked some people if he could have a few dollars. They gave him some money and asked him what he was planning on doing. He said that he was going to try to reconnect with his children and go back to the pool hall.