The Greater St. Petersburg ACLU chapter initiated a court observer program after the United States Supreme Court issued its June 1972 Argersinger v. Hamlin decision. This verdict affirmed that defendants who were accused of misdemeanors and faced jail sentences had the right to counsel (and appointed counsel, if indigent). In addition to the county courts, twenty municipalities maintained in courts and conducted hearings for local offenses. Volunteers in the court observer program monitored these local courts and compiled information for ACLU attorneys.
