Gideon's Trumpet Analysis

Anthony Lewis’ Gideon’s Trumpet is a triumphant story about how one man can make a change. It is the story of Clarence Earl Gideon’s fight for the right to legal counsel. Published in 1964, the work serves to demonstrate how much power the people have when they know the law. The book goes through, in detail, Gideon’s appeal to the Supreme Court in order to gain his right to counsel when he could not afford one. Lewis also does a thorough job of explaining judicial processes and landmark court cases that surrounding Gideon v. Wainwright. Gideon’s Trumpet does an excellent job at explaining judicial jargon in laymen’s terms, as language of the supreme court is not something every person uses often. This allows readers to better connect with Gideon

Clarence Earl Gideon asked for an attorney when tried and found guilty of a minor offense, he was then denied, found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. The perspective is entirely focused on the legal issues surrounding the case, and it gives an overall look at societal and legal trends during the 1960s. The final chapter is utilized to make a general statement about the role of the Supreme Court in American society. Lewis concludes the book with an argument that he makes in the beginning of the book, his belief that the Court both reinforces and shapes the values of society. Like the case, Gideon’s Trumpet is an instrumental to American society. It can be argued however, that the work may be too dense. At 250 pages it includes multiple court cases, examples, Supreme Court cases and rulings from around the world. There are aspects that humanize the story, like Gideon’s original hand-written petition to the Court (p. 4), Gideon’s letter to his attorney telling the story of his life (p. 47-58), Gideon’s life as described in chapter seven (p. 100-106). It is an interesting read on the appellate process and is very much educational and