Since our pro bono representation of Clarence Earl Gideon over 50 years ago in the landmark case Gideon v. Wainwright, which ensured that poor people accused of serious crimes are entitled to lawyers paid for by the government, Arnold & Porter LLP has had a recurring and extraordinary pro bono presence in the Supreme Court. 

Today, our lawyers regularly represent pro bono clients in the high court. In the Supreme Court's 2009-10 and 2010-11 terms, for instance, our Appellate and Supreme Court practice has represented individuals and organizations pro bono in several cases, including:

• Henderson v. Shinseki, No. 09-1036.  The Supreme Court granted the firm's petition filed on behalf of a Korean war veteran to resolve whether the time period for a veteran to appeal a disability denial is jurisdictional or subject to equitable tolling. On March 1, 2011, the Court ruled unanimously in favor of our client.
• Thompson v. North American Stainless, LP, No. 09-291. The firm scored a unanimous win as co-counsel in a Title VII case in which the Court clarified the parameters of the individuals who could bring claims for third-party retaliations.
• In re Troy Anthony Davis, 130 S. Ct. 1 (2009). The firm handled this habeas appeal on behalf of a death penalty inmate in which the Supreme Court invoked its original habeas jurisdiction-something the Court had not done in nearly a half century-and ordered the district court below to hold an evidentiary hearing on Mr. Davis's constitutional claim of actual innocence.
• Connick v. Thompson, No. 09-571. The firm filed an amicus brief at the merits stage on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union in support of holding a prosecutor's office liable for Brady violations under 42 U.S.C. 1983.
• Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, 130 S. Ct. 2971 (2010). The firm filed an amicus brief at the merits stage on behalf of the National School Boards Association supporting the law school's position that a student group did not have a First Amendment right to public funding where the group refused to sign the law school's viewpoint-neutral, non-discrimination policy.
• Maples v. Allen, No. 10-63. The firm filed an amicus brief at the petition stage on behalf of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers supporting an death penalty inmate's position that he should not be procedurally defaulted from appealing his claims for ineffective assistance of counsel where the default was through no fault of the inmate. The case pits a state's procedural default rule against the federal court's ability to enforce essential federal rights.
• Hood v. Texas, No. 09-8610. The firm filed an amicus brief on behalf of 30 leading ethicists at the petition stage supporting the inmate's due process claim based on his conviction under circumstances in which the prosecutor had an intimate relationship with the presiding judge.

Our pro bono work goes well beyond just high-profile cases before the Supreme Court. In state and federal appellate courts across the country, our lawyers have helped protect the rights of individuals whose stories are not recounted in the newspapers or on television, but who simply needed the guiding hand of counsel to help protect and secure their rights.