In 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon stood trial in Florida, accused of robbing a pool hall. Gideon was poor and could not afford a lawyer. He requested that the court provide one for him, but Florida only provided lawyers for defendants accused of capital offenses. The Supreme Court decided to throw out the conviction because lawyers were necessary to ensure a fair trial. The Court ruled that states must provide counsel to defendants too poor to afford lawyers or they are violating the constitutional right to legal counsel. *

in the determination of the civil right, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court a of law in order to establish the independence and impartiality of the court in the case. Whenever any person is charged with a criminal offence, such a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court of law. Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent untill such a person is proved guilty by a court of law.

The right to fair hearing goes further to say that every person charged with a criminal offence shall be entitled to be informed in the language that such a person understand and in detail of the nature of the offence. Also such a person must be allowed to defend himself or herself in person by a legal practitioner of his own choice and must be examined in person by his counsel. Then if such a person cannot provide for his own counsel to defend him or her in the case before the court then the state shall provide him or her with one in order to ensure that the accused person is given the right to fair hearing. If such a person cannot understand the language of prosecution such a person is entitled without payment to be provided the assistance of an interpreter.