60th Anniversary Cocktail Reception and Dinner Celebrating Gideon v. Wainwright
Monday, November 6, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Jessie Ball duPont Center
Please join us at the Jessie Ball duPont Center for a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. This landmark decision recognized that assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, and that the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments require states to appoint attorneys for defendants who cannot afford to retain counsel on their own. Gideon impacted not only the state court system, but the federal system as well. One year after the Supreme Court issued its decision in Gideon, Congress passed the Criminal Justice Act, which provides funding for court-appointed counsel in federal cases.
This evening cocktail reception and dinner will celebrate the legacy and impact of Gideon on the state and federal court systems and will honor our state and federal public defenders, conflict counsel and CJA attorneys. The dinner program will include a short overview of the Gideon decision; a brief video interview of Professor Bruce Jacobs of Stetson Law School, who argued Gideon as a 27-year-old lawyer; and a panel discussion with leading state and federal criminal practitioners who will address the legacy of Gideon, as well as the successes and challenges of the public defender system. There is no cost to attend thanks to the lawyers and judges of the Middle District of Florida through the Court’s Bench Bar Fund.
Registration is closed.
