The Legal Aid Society (Legal Aid Society) has been celebrating its 150th anniversary with a panel discussion at the New York Historical. The discussion, which included the organization's transition from a small immigrant aid program to a nation's largest and oldest public defense and civil legal services provider, was led by Attorney-in-Charge Twyla Carter, City Corporation Counsel Steven Banks, and historian Bekah Friedman. The conversation coincided with "Gideon Day," the 63rd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright, which established the constitutional right to counsel for defendants in state-level felonies who cannot afford it, led to a dramatic growth in the Legal Aid society. The organization is constantly fighting for funding for its programs and mandates, noting a disparity between its budget and the NYPD's, which is approximately 30 times larger.