Which case confirmed the right of individuals to a legal counsel regardless of their economic status?

The case that confirmed the right of individuals to legal counsel regardless of their economic status is Gideon v. Wainwright. This landmark Supreme Court decision established that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that a defendant in a criminal case has the right to counsel, and that this right is applicable to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment.

In Gideon v. Wainwright, Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with a felony in a Florida state court, and he could not afford an attorney. He requested that the court appoint one for him, but his request was denied based on the state law at the time, which only provided for court-appointed counsel in capital cases. Gideon represented himself at trial and was convicted. He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled that the right to counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, thereby extending the right to free legal counsel to defendants in state courts who cannot afford an attorney.

This case is pivotal in ensuring that the justice system upholds the principle of fair legal representation for all, emphasizing that economic status should not prevent anyone from receiving a fair trial.