10th annual public defenders summit. Im so excited to be here today. Our office has been putting on this summit for the past 10 years. We draw together attorneys, community leaders, nonprofit leaders and directors and people committed to improving the criminal Justice System. We come together once a year to talk about the issues and problems that we want to solve. This year is a particularly special summit because yesterday marked the 50th an niversary of the Supreme Court decision. One of the most significant dimensions our country. On march 16, 1963, the court said you have a right to a lawyer. Even though it had been part of the constitution as the 6th amendment for years and years it was not recognized it was a right until they said it was an obligation by the state to provide a lawyer. It never would have happened unless gideon, a drifter who had been involved convicted for robbing a pool hall. At that time unless you were charged with a capital offense, you would not be given a l
10th annual public defenders summit. Im so excited to be here today. Our office has been putting on this summit for the past 10 years. We draw together attorneys, community leaders, nonprofit leaders and directors and people committed to improving the criminal Justice System. We come together once a year to talk about the issues and problems that we want to solve. This year is a particularly special summit because yesterday marked the 50th an niversary of the Supreme Court decision. One of the most significant dimensions our country. On march 16, 1963, the court said you have a right to a lawyer. Even though it had been part of the constitution as the 6th amendment for years and years it was not recognized it was a right until they said it was an obligation by the state to provide a lawyer. It never would have happened unless gideon, a drifter who had been involved convicted for robbing a pool hall. At that time unless you were charged with a capital offense, you would not be given a l
At life. It was a constitutional hero, but the cases that come to the court dont come from the winners in society. They come from the losers. Clarence gideon was involved in the Justice System since he was a kid. He had been getting in trouble. Trouble seemed to find gideon. Literally small change had gone miss ing from this cigarette machine, maybe 5 total. Thats the pool hall there on the bottom. Some wine, some beer and a few bottles of cocacola were gone. The witnesses saw gideon that night with pockets full of change. Gideon found himself facing serious time in prison. I have no council why do you not have council . I would like someone to represent me. I would have to deny you request to a point you council in this case. Gideon,000 this was unfair. By asking the court to appoint a lawyer, gideon thought he had the right to counsel. This right is a basic right to in in in the constitution because the threat that is presented by imprisonment and even execution is a threat that the
And investigations. I would like to thank all the volunteers who made this possible. Kathy, angela and everyone else who helped out today. I want to express my gratitude to the San Francisco library for the last ten years and there is San Francisco government tv and this is going to be broadcast throughout the year. So thank you. I would like to thank julie tron from the Bar Association. The Bar Association has been our partners in terms of providing defense for poor people. In cases where the public defender is not able to provide representation, those cases are handled by the private bar and they are doing an incredible job. So thank you very much for that. I want to thank jose as a who is a public defender and here to celebrate with us. We are going to start today by showing a brief video explaining the gideon decisions take this empty lot. Today you would never know it but history was made here. Mostly all is gone and so are the people. The principle they left is still standing. It
Today i really want to share with you in the celebration and recognition of the 50th anniversary, im going to ask you to come up here, jeff. Look at him. This is amazing, everyone. But today is march 18, 2013. Today marks the 50th anniversary United States courts decision that someone should be defended at no cost. Where journalist and concerned citizens will gather at the San Francisco public defenders 2013 justice summit on march 19 to discuss ways to better fulfill gideons promise justice for all where clarence combid gideon convicted to be stealing change at a pool hall. He wrote a petition to the Supreme Court from his jail cell arguing that his rights had been violated. He presented a victory for civil rights and justice. San francisco one of the first cities in the United States to establish a Public Defenders Office opened its doors in 1921. Whereas gideons promise lives on in the San Francisco Public Defenders Office which service 25,000 indigent people every year. Whereas cit