Today marks the 60th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on the right to counsel. In Gideon, the Court found that “reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided.” Despite Gideon’s recognition that lawyers in criminal courts “are necessities, not luxuries,” our failure to provide adequate representation to defendants in our criminal courts has been well documented.
Vol. 136 No. 5 Introduction When prosecutors approached a first-time drug offender who had sold a little over half a kilogram of marijuana, they offered him a deal:...
Vol. 136 No. 2 Introduction The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) mandates an enhanced sentence when a felon in possession of a firearm was previously convicted of at...
Vol. 136 No. 1 The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) imposes lengthy sentences on those who possess firearms after committing violent felonies on three or more different “occasions.”...
Vol. 135 No. 8 Introduction Gun rights supporters appear to be on the cusp of achieving a decades-long goal: defanging licensing laws nationwide for carrying handguns in public....
Vol. 135 No. 8 Prison abolition, in the span of just a few short years, has established a foothold in elite criminal legal discourse. But the basic question...
Vol. 135 No. 8 Introduction Criminal justice reform advocates have long rallied against the criminalization of poverty in the United States. It’s well established that criminal justice involvement...
