Question refers to the excerpt below. "The right of one charged with crime to counsel may not be deemed fundamental and essential to fair trials in some countries, but it is in ours. From the very beginning, our
state and national constitutions and laws have laid great emphasis on procedural and substantive safeguards designed to assure fair trials before impartial tribunals in which
every defendant stands equal before the law." -- From the decision in Gideon v. Walnright, 1963
In what way did this ruling produce a fundamental change in the United States?
It resulted in the rewriting of numerous state constitutions.
It caused the sentences of hundreds of prisoners to be commuted to life in prison.
It required the establishment of a nationwide system of public defenders.
It made it much more difficult for police to obtain evidence of criminal activity.