'USCourts.gov' Category Archives



60 Years Later, Gideon’s Legacy Lives On

Clarence Earl Gideon, a Florida drifter who spent time in and out of prisons for nonviolent crimes, was an unlikely individual to help redefine a criminal defendant’s right to counsel 60 years ago in the Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. Public Defense Week and National Public Defender Day, which occur March 18, commemorate the […]

60 Years Later, Gideon’s Legacy Lives On

Clarence Earl Gideon, a Florida drifter who spent time in and out of prisons for nonviolent crimes, was an unlikely individual to help redefine a criminal defendant’s right to counsel 60 years ago in the Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. Public Defense Week and National Public Defender Day, which occur March 18, commemorate the […]

Women Judges Reflect on Constance Baker Motley’s Legacy

Constance Baker Motley was the first African American woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, and the first to serve as a federal judge. For all her achievements, Motley’s most-lasting legacy may be the generations of women she inspired to pursue careers in the law. In celebration of Women’s History Month, judges reflected […]