California Assembly Bill 590, which will create pilot projects to appoint counsel for low-income Californians in cases affecting basic human needs, was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the wee hours of the morning on Oct. 12. Named the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, the bill passed the California legislature last spring but was then caught up in California's budget crisis. However, reports of its death proved to be exaggerated; the fact of its dedicated funding source from court fees no doubt contributed to its resurrection. The projects will begin operating on July 1, 2011.

AB 590 had wide support, including from both parties in the legislature and editorial support from The New York Times. And California

advocates worked tirelessly to keep it prominent on the governor's radar screen.

Since it became law, the legal blogosphere has trumpted the bill's significance. See, e.g., the post by Jonathan Smith, Exec. Dir. of the Legal Aid Society of DC, on makingjusticereal.org, "California takes a big step towards Civil Gideon" and John Marshall Law School Professor Steve Schwinn's post on the Constitutional Law Prof Blog, "Schwarzenegger Signs Equal Access to Justice Bill."

Since it was signed, the bill has continued to receive media attention. An article appeared in The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 26, "'Civil Gideon' Trumpets Legal Discord," and the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 17 published a 1000+-word 

article entitled "California Gives the Poor a New Legal Right." LA's legal newspaper, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, published a front-page article on Oct. 13: "Law Creates New Right to Counsel in Civil Cases."

The legal blogosphere has also been trumpeting the bill's significance. See, e.g., the post by Jonathan Smith, Exec. Dir. of the Legal Aid Society of DC, on makingjusticereal.org, "California takes a big step towards Civil Gideon"; John Marshall Law School Professor Steve Schwinn's posts on the Constitutional Law Prof Blog: "Equal Access to Justice in California" and "Schwarzenegger Signs Equal Access to Justice Bill"; Rebecca K. Blemberg, Marquette U. Law School Faculty Blog, "California Moves Towards Civil Right to Counsel."