Getting Gideon Right

Authors

Andrew L.B. Davies, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow
Blane Skiles, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow
Pamela R. Metzger, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow
Janelle Gursoy, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow
Alex Romo, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow

Files

Description

In Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the government must provide a criminal defense lawyer for any accused person who cannot afford one. But for too many people, Gideon's promise remains unfulfilled. In Texas, there are no statewide guidelines about who is entitled to a court-appointed lawyer. Instead, counties create their own rules that create serious gaps in constitutional protection. Getting Gideon Right investigates the financial standards that determine an accused person's eligibility for appointed counsel in Texas county courts. The report reveals a patchwork of county court policies that are both complex and severe.

Publication Date

4-2022

Publisher

Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center

Keywords

texas criminal law, appointed counsel, Gideon v. Wainwright, sixth amendment, right to counsel, indigent defense

Disciplines

Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Law | State and Local Government Law

Recommended Citation

Andrew L Davies, Blane Skiles, Pamela R Metzger, Janelle Gursoy & Alex Romo, Getting Gideon Right (2022), https://doi.org/10.25172/dc.8

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.