In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that indigent defendants charged with a felony are entitled to a government-paid lawyer?

The case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that indigent defendants charged with a felony are entitled to a government-paid lawyer is Gideon v. Wainwright. This landmark decision, delivered in 1963, expanded the rights of defendants by holding that the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the right to counsel, is applicable to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Gideon v. Wainwright arose when Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with a felony in Florida and 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 free legal counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, thus assuring that indigent defendants have access to legal representation.

This decision reinforced the principle of fair trial rights and ensured that economic status does not impede an individual's access to legal counsel in serious criminal cases. The other cases listed do not address the right to counsel for indigent defendants in the same manner, focusing instead on other legal principles and rights.