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Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court

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Expanding Criminal Rights: In re Gault & Argersinger v. Hamlin

Warm-up
  1. Respond to the following question in writing:

    The Gideon v. Wainwright decision was a victory for the rights of criminal defendants in felony cases. If you could expand the decision further, how would you do so?

  2. Discuss responses.
Process
  1. Read the abstract of In re Gault (Oyez.org).
  2. Answer the questions that follow:
    1. How are the Gideon and Gault cases similar?
    2. How do they differ?
    3. What was the decision in Gault?
  3. Read the abstract of Argersinger v. Hamlin (Oyez.org).
  4. Answer the questions that follow:
    1. How are the Gideon and Argersinger cases similar?
    2. How do they differ?
    3. What was the decision in Argersinger?
Conclusion

In a well-written paragraph, respond to the questions that follow: What impact do you think the decisions in Gault and Argersinger have had on criminal justice in the United States? Do you agree or disagree with these decisions?

Follow-up

The federal and state governments are NOT required to provide the parties with a free attorney in civil cases. Why is this permissible?

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