It’s been half a century since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that criminal defendants must be given a lawyer, even if they can’t afford to pay. Today, about 80 percent of criminal defendants rely on a public defender. But many …


Syndicated radio program; Inside Scoop with Mark Levine
Today is the 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the 1963 Supreme Court decision that ensures that every person charged with a crime is entitled to an attorney even if he/she cannot afford one. How does the promise of Gideon …

The New York Times
First paragraph: Fifty years after the Supreme Court, in Gideon v. Wainwright, guaranteed legal representation to poor people charged with serious crimes, low-income criminal defendants, particularly black ones, are significantly worse off. Don’t blame public defenders, who are usually overwhelmed. …

The New York Times
I’d always wanted to be a lawyer, but unlike Travis Williams — the subject of this Op-Doc video — I never wanted to be a public defender. I didn’t understand how anyone could represent people who did terrible things. “Criminals” …

Daily Motion
Check out this video from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Gideon’s Army. Watch Video …