In 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon stood trial in this courthouse for burglary and, lacking funds to hire a lawyer, asked that one be appointed to represent him. His request was denied because a person accused of a non-capital felony did not then have a constitutional right to a free lawyer. Gideon represented himself, was convicted, and while serving a five-year prison sentence petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review his case. In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that every poor person charged with a serious crime in this country must be provided a lawyer for his defense at public expense. Panama City attorney W. Fred Turner represented Gideon at his retrial and won an acquittal. The case led to the establishment of the Public Defender system in Florida and throughout the nation. Built in 1914, the courthouse is one of only a few original courthouses in Florida still being used for its original purpose; after a fire in 1920 gutted the building, it was immediately rebuilt in its Classic Revival architectural style.