Free Justice: A History of the Public Defender in Twentieth-Century America
Sara Mayeux
Jun 2020 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Ann Richardson
headphones
Audiobook
10 hr 6 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 1 hr sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Though often taken for granted, the modern American public defender is a recent invention with a surprisingly contentious history-one that offers insights not only about the "carceral state," but also about the contours and compromises of twentieth-century liberalism. First gaining appeal amidst the Progressive Era fervor for court reform, the public defender idea was swiftly quashed by elite corporate lawyers who believed the legal profession should remain independent from the state. Public defenders took hold in some localities but not yet as a nationwide standard. By the 1960s, views had shifted. Gideon v. Wainwright enshrined the right to counsel into law and the legal profession mobilized to expand the ranks of public defenders nationwide. Yet within a few years, lawyers had already diagnosed a "crisis" of underfunded, overworked defenders providing inadequate representation-a crisis that persists today. This book shows how these conditions, often attributed to recent fiscal emergencies, have deep roots, and chronicles the intertwined histories of constitutional doctrine, big philanthropy, professional in-fighting, and Cold War culture that made public defenders ubiquitous but embattled figures in American courtrooms.
About the author
Sara Mayeux is associate professor of law at Vanderbilt University.
With a background of drama and music prevalent in her Midwestern upbringing, award-winning narrator Ann Richardson delights in narrating fiction. In her spare time, Ann volunteers as a narrator for Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic).
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
