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Justice Department Commemorates the 60th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright
The commemoration began on Thursday March 16, 2023, when Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered remarks at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Gideon@60 Commemoration. “With its decision in Gideon, the Supreme Court transformed the American legal system by renewing the foundational promise of equal justice under law. There is still so much more work to be done to make the promise of Gideon real. The Justice Department recognizes the urgency and seriousness of these challenges. And we are committed to doing all we can to support our colleagues who have devoted their careers to public defense.”
-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
On Friday March 17, 2023 the official commemoration began in the Great Hall at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.
In the Great Hall, correspondence papers from 1963 were on display for attendees.
“At every stage of my career – as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, judge, and now our [nation's] chief law enforcement officer – I have seen the truth of what Justice Black wrote in Gideon: ‘Lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries.’”
-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
“Without capable criminal defense attorneys, defendants cannot understand the scope of their rights at each stage of the criminal process. Prosecutors cannot learn of errors in their factual assumptions...Jurors cannot hear the full stories needed to fairly adjudicate cases. And judges cannot hear the full legal arguments needed to guide their decisions. Criminal defense attorneys put the government’s case to the test. In so doing, they make sure that every part of our system fairer, more equal, and more just.”
-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
“Defending those accused of crimes is not just a nice thing to do, it is a constitutional requirement. That constitutional requirement helps ensure fairness and legitimacy — and for that reason, every actor in the criminal justice system should be invested in the work of public defenders. The Department of Justice stands with and is taking concrete steps to support public defenders as we work to make real the promise the Gideon decision made 60 years ago.”
-Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta
“As we celebrate the marvel that Gideon is on its 60th anniversary, let us also commit to finding ways we can better support our public defense system and fully effect Gideon’s promise of a fair and just criminal legal system.”
-Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Virginia Juval Scott
On March 17, 2023 The Justice Department commemorated the 60th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the landmark Supreme Court decision which held that the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, and that the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments require states to appoint attorneys for defendants who cannot afford to retain counsel on their own. The Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) lead this effort by elevating the right to counsel and the importance of public defenders throughout the month of March.
Updated July 11, 2023
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