Books in Debating Supreme Court Decisions series

- Explains the most important U.S. Supreme Court cases- Explains how each case affected American history and society- Can be used for debates, projects, or exploration of issues- Includes an exercise tailored to the specific issue- Supports the History/Social Studies, Civics, and American Government curricula- Please see each title for page count- Illus. with black-and-white photographs and illustrations- Contains discussion questions, chapter notes, a glossary, a further reading list, Internet addresses, and an index

Unable to pay for a lawyer, a man arrested for breaking and entering was forced to defend himself in court, resulting in a sentence of five years in prison. Was this fair? That question took Gideon v. Wainwright all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was decided that state courts should be required to provide attorneys to defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford their own. As stated by Justice Hugo Black, "Lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries." Gideon v. Wainwright: The Right to Free Legal Counsel is a vivid account that delves into the judicial process that went into this landmark case.

“You have the right to remain silent” is the well-known introduction to a series of statements police are required to communicate to accused criminals upon arrest. Known as the Miranda warning, these famous instructions are a direct result of the Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona. Ernesto Miranda, an Arizona laborer, was arrested in 1963 and convicted of raping a woman. He appealed his conviction and the Supreme Court overturned the decision, determining that Arizona authorities had violated two constitutional amendments. Miranda v. Arizona: The Rights of the Accused offers a clear understanding of the history of this decision and its consequences. Before the Miranda warning, it was not uncommon for police station confessions to be obtained by intimidation, making false promises, psychological game-playing, physical torture, or exploiting the ignorance of the accused. The Supreme Court’s decision allowed that the privileges granted to a defendant in a courtroom—the right to counsel, the right to due process, and the right to not witness against oneself—were now extended to the police station.