Clarence Earl Gideon was charged in Florida state court and when he appeared in court without a lawyer, Gideon requested that the court appoint one for him. However, under Florida law, civil trials are not granted an attorney and therefore Gideon represented himself in trial. after losing the trial, and spending 5 years in prison, Gideon filed a habeas corpus petition in the Florida Supreme Court and argued that the trial court's decision violated his constitutional right to be represented by counsel.