Sixty years since Gideon v. Wainwright, defendants still face obstacles in their right to an attorney

Last week we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which recognized that defendants accused of serious crimes have the right to get an attorney appointed by the state.  

Yet, the celebration of the landmark case and the right it recognized is often hard to vindicate because of the obstacles faced by public defenders.

This unfortunate reality was highlighted in a couple of articles this week:

You have the right to a lawyer, but public defenders note a lack of resources, respect (NPR)

Reframing the Indigent Defense Crisis (The Harvard Law Review Blog)