The right of every person to counsel and a jury trial protects us from the over-reach of powerful government and private interests.
Yahoo News provides an important reminder.
American Founders Knew: Right to Counsel Is Fundamental
The right to counsel is a core American principle pre-dating the establishment of American jurisprudence. Our founding fathers experienced the tyranny of a king whose decisions couldn’t be questioned and a justice system that employed the death penalty to eliminate his political opponents. To avoid such abuses of power, they established the right to a defense lawyer in the 1660s as one of the first checks on governmental power. This long standing right is essential to making sure everyone gets a fair trial.