In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that states must offer a defense attorney to all poor people accused of crimes. The decision transformed the concept of fair trials in America, but left major challenges to the justice system today.

Fair trials

With the writing of the Constitution in 1787, the framers set out a young nation’s highest ideals. And ever since, we’ve been fighting over it — what is in it and what was left out. At the heart of these arguments is the story of America.

As a follow-up to the popular Washington Post podcast “Presidential,” reporter Lillian Cunningham returns with this series exploring the Constitution and the people who framed and reframed it — revolutionaries, abolitionists, suffragists, teetotalers, protesters, justices, presidents – in the ongoing struggle to form a more perfect union across a vast and diverse land.

Society & Culture

Documentary

Education

Government

History

With the writing of the Constitution in 1787, the framers set out a young nation’s highest ideals. And ever since, we’ve been fighting over it — what is in it and what was left out. At the heart of these arguments is the story of America. As a follow-up to the popular Washington Post podcast “Presidential,” reporter Lillian Cunningham returns with this series exploring the Constitution and the people who framed and reframed it — revolutionaries, abolitionists, suffragists, teetotalers, protesters, justices, presidents – in the ongoing struggle to form a more perfect union across a vast and diverse land.

Share Fair trials

Sign up to save your podcasts

Fair trials

Fair trials

More shows like Constitutional

This American Life

Stuff You Should Know

Freakonomics Radio

The NPR Politics Podcast

Presidential

Capehart

Sidebar

The Daily

Capital Weather Gang

Today, Explained

Post Reports

Throughline

Moonrise

Canary: The Washington Post Investigates

The Ezra Klein Show

Please, Go On with James Hohmann

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

History Daily

Broken Doors

The 7

Field Trip

The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop

Try This

Letters from an American

Reasonably Optimistic

The Campaign Moment

The Sports Moment

The Opinions