NLADA Launches Gideonat50 Site

This year is the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the historic Supreme Court decision holding that the U.S. Constitution requires counsel be provided for indigent defendants facing serious criminal charges. With this anniversary for such an important decision for public defense, the NLADA has developed Gideonat50 which is an interactive and informative place for visitors to:

•    learn about America's justice system crisis;
•    see a new interactive map prepared by NLADA that for the first time provides a detailed overview of the national landscape of public defense and state specific descriptions; and
•    sign up to get involved in the Gideonat50 campaign.

The site also features information about three powerful works of literature and film:
•    Gideon's Army, a Sundance award-winning documentary by director Dawn Porter that follows three young public defenders challenging a broken justice system.
•    Chasing Gideon, a book by veteran reporter Karen Houppert that movingly chronicles the stories of people in all parts of the country who have relied on Gideon's promise.
•    Defending Gideon, a short film produced by The Constitution Project and narrated by actor Martin Sheen that features interviews with the key players in the Gideon v. Wainwright case.


If you are interested in public defense, this website is a great resource. http://gideonat50.org/