PUBLIC DEFENSE RECOGNTION WEEK 03.18.2023.DOC

Maricopa County
PROCLAMATION 
Public Defense Recognition Week
March 2023
WHEREAS, March 18, 2023, marks the 60th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s 
decision in Gideon v. Wainwright; and
WHEREAS, on March 18, 1963, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Gideon that the 
United States Constitution’s Sixth Amendment right to the assistance of counsel is essential to a 
fair trial, and requires the appointment of counsel for indigent defendants accused of felonies in 
state court; and
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court recognized in Gideon that “. . . lawyers in criminal courts are 
necessities, not luxuries;” and
WHEREAS, Maricopa County upholds and affirms the guarantee of the Sixth Amendment’s 
right to counsel, recognizing counsel as essential to the fairness of criminal proceedings; and
WHEREAS, Maricopa County Public Defense Services’ attorneys and support staff continue to 
work tirelessly to provide essential, constitutionally-guaranteed legal services to those who 
would not otherwise have access to representation; and
WHEREAS, Maricopa County Public Defense Services not only represents its clients but also 
upholds the rights set forth in the United States Constitution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors does 
hereby proclaim that the week of March 13, 2023, shall be recognized as “Public Defense 
Recognition Week” in appreciation of the essential role played by the attorneys and staff of 
Public Defense Services in upholding the Sixth Amendment guarantee of counsel and 
protecting the fundamental right to a fair trial.
  
DATED this 1st Day of March,2023. 
___________________________  _
Clint Hickman, Chairman, District 4
___________________________  _
Jack Sellers, Vice-Chairman, District 1
___________________________  _
Thomas Galvin, Supervisor, District 2
________________________  ____ 
Bill Gates, Supervisor, District 3
________________________  ____
Steve Gallardo, Supervisor, District 5
ATTEST:
___________________________
Juanita Garza, Clerk of the Board