Campus News

Law conference to examine indigent defense in Georgia

The School of Law is hosting a daylong conference that will focus on Georgia’s public defender system. “Honoring Gideon’s Promise, Rallying Gideon’s Army” will begin Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. in Classroom B of Hirsch Hall. The conference is free and open to the public; registration, however, is required.

The event celebrates the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the case in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that due process requires state governments to provide defense counsel to indigent defendants in criminal cases.

Through a series of four panel discussions and a screening of the 2013 HBO film Gideon’s Army, the conference will address Georgia’s current public defender system, which is now in its ninth year of operation.

Registration for the conference is free and can be completed at http://law.uga.edu/honoring-gideons-promise-rallying-gideons-army-conference. Lunch is $10 and CLE credits are available to lawyers for $45, both of which can be purchased through the online registration.