You have the right to a lawyer, but public defenders note a lack of resources, respect

The promise of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright that guaranteed criminal defendants the right to a lawyer has been challenged by budgets and high demand. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Sixty years ago today the Supreme Court ruled that people accused of crimes but without means to pay for a lawyer would be provided with one at public expense.

The promise of that landmark ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright has been frustrated by heavy caseloads for public defenders and tight budgets that prioritize police, prosecutors and prisons over the right to counsel.