What was Betts v. Brady?
Q: What was Betts v. Brady?
A: Betts v. Brady was a landmark case decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1942.
Q: What did Betts v. Brady have to do with?
A: Betts v. Brady had to do with "indigent" (poor) people who were on trial for crimes, but did not have enough money to pay for a lawyer.
Q: What did the Court rule in Betts v. Brady?
A: The Court ruled that a person did not need a lawyer to get a fair trial.
Q: Did the Court rule that the state had to pay for free lawyers for poor defendants in Betts v. Brady?
A: No, the Court ruled that the states did not have to pay for free lawyers for poor defendants in Betts v. Brady.
Q: When did the Court reverse its decision in Betts?
A: The Court reversed its decision in Betts in 1963 when it decided Gideon v. Wainwright.
Q: What was the ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright?
A: The ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright was that the state must provide free legal counsel to defendants who cannot afford a lawyer.
Q: Why was Betts v. Brady important?
A: Betts v. Brady was important because it established that the right to counsel was not absolute for indigent defendants and that states did not have to provide free lawyers. The decision was later reversed in Gideon v. Wainwright.
