The latest edition of the Yale Law Journal features essays commemorating the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the landmark 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision guaranteeing all criminal defendants a right to an attorney. The collection of essays from leading legal experts includes an article by Stephen Bright and Sia Sanneh, titled “Fifty Years of Defiance and Resistance After Gideon v. Wainwright,” arguing that the criminal system is not truly adversarial because prosecutors possess broad power and resources, while defense systems are often poorly funded. Other essays by death penalty scholars include pieces by John Blume, Sheri Lynn Johnson, and Carol Steiker. Other authors explore the impact of race and poverty on representation, and the application of Gideon to military tribunals.
(Symposium Issue, 122 Yale Law Journal 2106 (June 2013); DPIC posted, July 9, 2013;). See U.S. Supreme Court and Law Reviews.
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). LAW REVIEWS: Yale Law Journal Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/law-reviews-yale-law-journal-commemorates-50th-anniversary-of-gideon-v-wainwright
- Death Penalty Information Center. “LAW REVIEWS: Yale Law Journal Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/law-reviews-yale-law-journal-commemorates-50th-anniversary-of-gideon-v-wainwright.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “LAW REVIEWS: Yale Law Journal Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/law-reviews-yale-law-journal-commemorates-50th-anniversary-of-gideon-v-wainwright. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.
