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The Right to Counsel

By Michael Blankenship

New York State?s dysfunctional, underfinanced public defender program is a problem of constitutional dimensions. It is the subject of a class-action lawsuit, which argues credibly that indigent criminal defendants are regularly deprived of their right to effective counsel. The suit, filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, focuses on five counties, but the problem is far broader. A commission appointed by Judith Kaye, then the chief judge, concluded in 2006 that the state?s defender system failed to provide effective representation to ?a large portion of those entitled to it,? citing bloated caseloads and inadequate training and supervision. Read more... The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution  guarantees the right to the assistance of counsel...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Justice Gambit on April 04, 2010 (boomark / email).