Criminal Law Blog Essay

Reframing the Indigent Defense Crisis

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.
Criminal Law Note

The Occasions Clause Paradox

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...
Criminal Justice Leading Case

Wooden v. United States

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.”...