On the day Bruce Jacob came to the U.S. Supreme Court to argue one of the nation’s most significant cases, there was just one person in the public seating area: his wife. Ann Jacob watched her 27-year-old husband stand before the high court for the first time to argue for the state of Florida in the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright case in 1963. The young lawyer faced the imposing Abe Fortas, who later became a Supreme Court justice. Jacob recalls this moment and how it forever changed his life and career, in his new book, The Gideon Case: Inside the Supreme Court’s Historic Right to Counsel Decision. This March marked the 63th anniversary of the court’s decision.
Mar 31, 2026 11:10 AM CDT
