In concluding that states should also provide public defenders to people accused of committing crimes, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black observed in Gideon v. Wainright, “Governments, both state and federal, quite properly spend vast sums of money to establish machinery to try defendants accused of crime.” Many public defenders view it as their duty to throw wrenches into the cogs of that machinery. In reality, public defenders carry more than just wrenches in their extraordinary toolbox, which they employ daily to challenge the ordinary injustices faced by our clients.
March 18 marked the 54th anniversary of Gideon, and all last week, public defenders around the country celebrated “Public Defense Week”, a brainchild of the National Association of Public Defense. We celebrated our zealousness, tenacity and compassion in the face of a criminal justice system that targets poor people of color and often prioritizes efficiency over justice and respect for the humanity of our clients.
