Strickland v. Washington

Strickland v. Washington is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case from 1984 that established the standard for determining whether a criminal defendant's right to effective legal counsel was violated. The Court ruled that to prove ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show two things: first, that their lawyer's performance was deficient and fell below an objective standard of reasonableness; second, that this deficiency affected the outcome of the trial. This case set the foundation for evaluating claims of ineffective assistance in criminal defense, ensuring defendants receive competent legal representation.