Whereas the justice system in the United States depends on fair and equal access to the courts as a fundamental right in a democratic society; Whereas the first line of the United States Constitution identifies establish Justice as a purpose of the Constitution; Whereas, in criminal proceedings involving imprisonment, the United States Constitution guarantees a lawyer for anyone unable to afford one in order to ensure fairness and equal treatment; Whereas engraved in stone above the entrance to the United States Supreme Court reads Equal Justice Under Law ; Whereas Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas and president of the Conference of Chief Justices Nathan Hecht has said justice for only those who can afford it is neither justice for all nor justice at all ; Whereas civil proceedings often determine issues involving basic human needs, including shelter, custody of children, safety from abuse, health, and sustenance; Whereas the American Bar Association, which is the largest voluntary association of legal professionals in the world, has long urged the Federal Government and State and territorial governments to provide legal counsel as a matter of right at public expense to low-income individuals in adversarial proceedings involving basic human needs, including shelter, sustenance, safety, health, and child custody, as determined by each jurisdiction; Whereas individuals without lawyers face difficult and often insurmountable barriers to obtaining justice in the courts; Whereas courts attempting to provide justice to individuals without lawyers often cannot obtain vital information necessary for making fully informed decisions on the merits; Whereas the 2017 Justice Gap Report published by the federally funded Legal Services Corporation found that at least 71 percent of low-income households experience a civil legal problem, including problems regarding domestic violence, veterans’ benefits, disability access, evictions, housing conditions, and health care