From the Constitution, judicial rulings have estabished that a citizen is entitled
to and cannot be denied legal representation in legal matters.
From this it can
be derived that, furthermore, they cannot be deprived of legal representation based
upon, race, religion, creed, gender, etcetera.
From this it would apparently,
obviously follow that a citizen cannot be deprived of legal representation because
of economic class.
That is, of course, unless the billionaires and corporations
own the legal system.
Then it is like Maralago. It is a private club and you are
not allowded to enter.
For the last fifty years progressive thinking individuals have empowered and
created entities and institutions
that assist citizens without the means to afford
high-powered lawyers- or any lawyers.
The law stipulates that people charged with
a crime and unable to pay must be given a lawyer,
but even this basic right is
meeting with shortages and an unwillingnes to facilitate.
Now there is an out-and-out attack on legal aid services.
Dwindling budgets
or no funds at all. Bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Also a vocal, philosophical attack
on their very existence as "entitlements".
It may be in the strictest
sense, they are entitlements. So is oxygen.