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"Hang on, let me pause it"

Monday, July 1, 2013

Gideon's Army premieres on HBO tonight


Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for stealing a pop & a few bucks from a pool hall back in 1961.  Unfortunately he couldn't afford an attorney & represented himself at trial and was convicted but he appealed the conviction to the Supreme Court.  It was a unanimous ruling that the right to counsel in a criminal case is fundamental to the American justice system.  Fifty years later most of them will be represented by one of the United States' 15,000 public defenders.

The documentary is directed by Dawn Porter who is an attorney and it follows a group of young public defenders in the Deep South.  They face difficult challenges and culture that has always been "tough on crime".  Gideon's Army premieres on HBO, Monday July 1st at 9:00.


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