Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> StandDown Texas Project

Criminal Law

: StandDown Texas Project

Texas Needs Public Defenders

By Steve Hall

That's the title of an OpEd by State Senator Rodney Ellis.  LINK   It appeared in the Sunday edition of the Houston Chronicle.It has been more than 45 years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided that American citizens who can't afford a lawyer have a Sixth Amendment right to counsel in state court. A unanimous 1963 decision in the Gideon case stated that, ?In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person hauled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided to him.? The decision sought to protect defendants against abuses by government authorities and ensure the fair enforcement of the law, for rich and poor alike.Earlier this month, the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee discussed the quality of indigent defense in Texas...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on June 01, 2010 (boomark / email).