First it was Love Marilyn, then this week it was Miss You Can Do It, and still to come The Out List, and now, it´s time to get ready for the next installment of this Summer´s HBO Documentaries lineup: Gideon´s Army.
Next week, HBO’s Summer Documentary Series rolls on with the brave story of a few southern public defenders and their struggle against injustice in GIDEON’S ARMY, premiering next MONDAY, JULY 1 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT). As the Doc tagline reads: “Everyone deserves the best defense. They fight for it“.
In 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for stealing soda and a few dollars from a pool hall. Unable to afford an attorney, he was convicted after representing himself at trial. Gideon appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that the right to counsel in a criminal case is fundamental to the American system of justice. Fifty years after the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright case, most of them will be represented by one of the United States’ 15,000 public defenders.
Directed by attorney Dawn Porter and winner of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Editing Award for U.S. Documentary Competition, GIDEON’S ARMY follows a group of idealistic young public defenders in the Deep South, where lawyers face particularly difficult challenges due to high bonds, minimum mandatory sentencing and a culture that is traditionally “tough on crime.” The thought-provoking film debuts MONDAY, JULY 1 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Watch Gideon´s Army Trailer Video
What did you think? Will you watch Gideon´s Army on HBO? Follow me on Twitter for more scoop.