Columns

“In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, could not be assured a fair trial, unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth.” – Justice Hugo Black, March 18, 1963, in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Gideon vs. Wainwright.
This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gideon case. This decision set in motion the greatest transformation to the American criminal justice system in history.

Transparency in government is getting a big push these days as South Carolina citizens demand improved access to public meetings and documents.
Both houses of the Legislature are studying reform and the Governor’s Commission on Ethics Reform has issued recommendations on ethics and openness.
However, one important area of open government is often forgotten, and that is public notices.

After taxpayers were forced to spend billions bailing out Wall Street a few years ago, it’s easy to understand why consumers have little tolerance for new fees from banks their hard-earned money rescued.
It certainly helps explain why many states, including South Carolina, have moved to pass laws against businesses charging their customers credit card transaction fees.
Credit card transaction fees have existed for years. But until recently, MasterCard and Visa did not permit businesses to pass along these fees to consumers.

Where does a gun come from? Who makes a gun? How does a gun work? Who invented a gun? Is a gun dangerous? How does a gun hurt or kill a person? What is a weapon?
These high-profile questions have taken the spotlight lately, given the rash of recent shooting tragedies. Politicians are using the tragedies to vilify people who believe in the right to bear arms.
TV, newspapers and other media align themselves with the government in an effort to ban guns.