PENNSYLVANIA, March 20 - PRINTER'S NO. 443

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

No.

54

Session of

2025

INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, TARTAGLIONE, STREET, PENNYCUICK,

L. WILLIAMS, SAVAL, COSTA, HAYWOOD, VOGEL AND CAPPELLETTI,

MARCH 20, 2025

REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MARCH 20, 2025

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing March 18, 2025, as "Public Defender Day" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, March 18, 2025, marks the 62nd anniversary of the

United States Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright,

372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792 (1963); and

WHEREAS, The Gideon Court unanimously ruled that the Sixth

Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees

the right to legal counsel as a fundamental right essential to a

fair trial, and counsel must be provided to individuals who

cannot afford to hire an attorney themselves; and

WHEREAS, The ruling spurred nationwide efforts to recruit and

train legal defense attorneys for the purpose of providing a

public defense; and

WHEREAS, These efforts were built on Clara Shortridge Foltz's

legacy, who first presented her vision for public defense in

1893; and

WHEREAS, Public defenders fight to protect the liberty of

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