According to a basic principle of American government, anyone accused of a crime will have his day in court and may expect the administration of "blind" justice. But justice during the 1950s could not really be considered blind. It was often apparent that the judiciary treated the rich differently from the poor, whites differently from minorities, and those who held unpopular views differently from "loyal" Americans. Sentencing and court procedures varied considerably from state to state, and judges too often based their rulings on the quality of the opposing legal counsels or the popular opinions of the day. Some of these problems are natural products of the American legal system. But others — such as inequalities based on race or class — the federal courts, especially the U.S. Supreme Court, devoted much time and effort to resolving.

A Good Lawyer is Hard to Find.

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