Which Supreme Court case overturned a trial court's decision due to the denial of the right to counsel?

The Supreme Court case that overturned a trial court's decision due to the denial of the right to counsel is Gideon v. Wainwright. This landmark ruling, decided in 1963, established that the right to counsel is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which applies to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment.

In Gideon v. Wainwright, Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with a felony and could not afford an attorney. He requested that the court appoint one for him, but his request was denied based on the state law at the time, which only provided for court-appointed counsel in capital cases. Gideon represented himself at trial and was convicted. He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, which unanimously held that the right to counsel is essential for a fair trial. The decision effectively required states to provide an attorney for defendants who cannot afford one in all criminal cases.

This ruling strengthened the principle that legal representation is crucial in ensuring justice and fairness in the judicial system. Other cases listed, while significant in their own rights regarding the right to counsel and criminal procedure, do not specifically address the outright overturning of a trial court's decision based on the explicit denial of counsel as clearly as Gide