After receiving this handwritten petition, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Gideon’s appeal. Thus Gideon, an uneducated drifter who failed to adequately represent himself against charges of petty theft, succeeded in bringing his case before the highest court in the land. Gideon’s lawyer, Abe Fortas, believed that Gideon may have been assisted in writing this petition by his cellmate, a former judge convicted of murder.