Final answer:
The Sixth Amendment right to counsel does not apply in some misdemeanor cases where no imprisonment is imposed, non-criminal proceedings, or when the right is voluntarily waived. Gideon v. Wainwright established the requirement for states to appoint counsel in felony cases for those who cannot afford one. Strickland v. Washington requires that the appointed counsel's performance must meet a certain standard of effectiveness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sixth Amendment provides the right to effective counsel in criminal proceedings, a principle established following the landmark case Gideon v. Wainwright. However, the right to counsel does not apply in all circumstances. For instance, indigent defendants may not be entitled to an appointed counsel in certain misdemeanor cases where imprisonment is not imposed. Additionally, the Sixth Amendment does not necessitate counsel in non-criminal proceedings or when the accused voluntarily waives their right to an attorney.
In the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, Clarence Earl Gideon was accused of burglary, and his request for appointed counsel was denied by a Florida state court because at that time, the provision of counsel was only obligatory in capital cases. Gideon represented himself and was convicted. His case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that states are required to provide attorneys for defendants in felony cases who cannot afford one, under the Sixth Amendment. This decision extended the right to counsel to all criminal prosecutions in both federal and state courts.
Later cases like Strickland v. Washington added more dimensions to the right to effective counsel, establishing that not only must counsel be appointed, but also that the counsel's performance must meet a certain standard of effectiveness for the trial to be considered fair. In instances where a defense lawyer's performance is so poor that it affects the outcome of the trial, the conviction may be overturned.