City of Philadelphia - File #: 230194

• File #: 230194
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 3/9/2023
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 3/16/2023
• Title: Declaring March 18, 2023 "Public Defender and Participatory Defense Day" in the City of Philadelphia to honor the dedicated work that the Defender Association of Philadelphia and Participatory Defense Hubs do for Philadelphians.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Lozada, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Vaughn, Councilmember Gauthier, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Harrity, Councilmember Driscoll, Councilmember Phillips, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Thomas, Councilmember Brooks

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
3/16/2023	0	CITY COUNCIL
3/9/2023	0	CITY COUNCIL

Title
Declaring March 18, 2023 "Public Defender and Participatory Defense Day" in the City of Philadelphia to honor the dedicated work that the Defender Association of Philadelphia and Participatory Defense Hubs do for Philadelphians.

Body
WHEREAS, On March 18, 1963, the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark opinion in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright. Clarence Gideon was convicted and incarcerated after he was denied an attorney. He was innocent, and was released years later after the Supreme Court granted him counsel; and

WHEREAS, Gideon v. Wainwright established the 6th Amendment right to counsel for adults, even those who could not afford to hire an attorney. In that decision, Justice Hugo Black writing for the majority said, "in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person hauled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him." This landmark decision also laid the foundation for the same protections to later be afforded to juveniles, in the case of In re Gault; and

WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia, public defense is handled by highly skilled Assistant Defenders in the Defender Association of Philadelphia. The Defender Association represents approximately seventy percent of individuals arrested in the city. The Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court determine standards of indigence and make all counsel appointments; and

WHEREAS, Since its founding in 1934, the Defender Association has been instrumental in protecting the 6th Amendment and upholding the Constitutional right to an attorney. Public Defenders represent clients in adult and juvenile state courts, at civil and criminal mental health hearings, and as child advocates for children with open dependency petitions. The Defender Association's dynamic team includes social workers, paralegals, mitigation specialists, investigators, and administrative professionals who play critical roles in protecting civil rights ...