Escobedo v. Illinois

It's the case that made a functioning public defense system a constitutional requirement, not just a courtesy.

And then building off of that was Escobedo v. Illinois, 1964.

And that pushed the right to counsel back in time from trial into the interrogation room, holding that a suspect has the right to a lawyer once an investigation shifts from general inquiry to accusation.

And then the next big one that everyone knows or remembers from television at that time was Miranda versus Arizona, 1966.

The law was changing, though.

In 1964, the US Supreme Court decided Escobedo v. Illinois, expanding protections for suspects during custodial interrogation.

Thomas' trial did not begin until 1966, so Escobedo applied even though police had questioned him years earlier.

Miranda would not be decided until later that same year.