50th Anniversary of In re Gault

Last week, the Office of the Public Defender for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and the League of Women Voters of Orange County celebrated the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision In re Gault. The program began with Gault: Looking Back in Time by retired former Gila County Presiding Judge and Presiding Juvenile Court Judge, Peter Cahill, and his former Law Clerk, Lisa Queen. This multimedia presentation includes vintage photographs of juvenile court, photographs of handwritten documents that began the habeas challenge, exhibits and transcripts from the August 1964 habeas hearings, and audio from the Supreme Court arguments.

Following Judge Cahill’s and Ms. Queen’s historical presentation, juvenile law expert Samantha Buckingham will presented an argument for the future. Prof. Buckingham is the Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law and Policy in Los Angeles, has written extensively on juvenile issues, and has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Congress on several occasions. Prof. Buckingham discussed her recent research regarding Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice, reviewed the impact of childhood trauma on youthful offenders, and advocated for the consideration of such trauma during the disposition of youthful offenders.