The legal basis of an issue presented is very important as it is the reason for a case to be heard in court.The reasoning needs to be determined and then presented to make sure that it is a valid legal basis.In some cases, there can be more than one legal basis issue that is presented.

In the case, Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963) Clarence Gideon was arrested for breaking and entering a private pool room along with burglary.He was denied an attorney and he did not have enough money to pay for one leaving the representation to himself.After he was convicted in the lower courts he set up his appeal and the case went to the Supreme Court.His issue was that his Amendment rights had been violated and the Supreme Court agreed unanimously that the Fourteenth Amendment was indeed not honored.

It was extremely important to find out the legal basis for this case as it had originally been about a breaking and entering case but turned into rights being violated upon appeal.Mr. Gideon was looking to have his fair chance in court which was owed to him by federal law.If a legal basis is not determined before legal action is taken then the case then justice can not be served.The courts would not know who could hear the case and who had jurisdiction.