Two years ago, on the 40th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the Constitution Project and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association formed a partnership — funded by several organizations — to consider the way in which the 6th Amendment Right to Counsel actually functions in criminal cases throughout the United States. They created the National Committee on the Right to Counsel (http://constitutionproject.org/righttocounsel/index.cfm?categoryId=6) both to examine, across the country, whether people who are charged with a crime and cannot afford to hire a lawyer receive competent legal representation and to create consensus recommendations for any necessary reforms.
The Committee's research reveals that there are overarching common issues facing the states in meeting the constitutional obligation established in Gideon v. Wainwright and later cases from both federal and state jurisdictions. There is compelling evidence of a true constitutional crisis. The problems documented by the research are all the more startling given their breadth and depth. The two reporters from the Committee, Professors Mary Sue Backus and Paul Marcus will be with us on Monday, March 6, 2006, to discuss the evidence uncovered throughout the United States by the Committee and the Committee's draft recommendations for change.