At her 1983 trial, Judy Clark waived her right to counsel and did not represent herself. Instead, during the entire prosecutor’s case and opening statement, she was in the basement of the courthouse, where the trial was piped in through a speaker system. She did not file an appeal. It was not until 2002 that Judy, with the help of counsel, filed a petition in which she asserted, among other things, that standby counsel should have been assigned to protect her Sixth Amendment right to counsel. While the U.S. District Court agreed and ordered a new trial, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed, leaving Judy in prison for the rest of her life.
Judith Clark
Photo by Nan Goldin.
Judith Clark, a 1960s and 1970s political activist, has spent 35 years in prison for her role as a getaway driver in a 1981 robbery that left three people dead. Now 67 years old, she has undergone a profound transformation, from an unrepentant radical to a respected educator and caring role model. She was granted clemency by Governor Andrew Cuomo on December 30, 2016, but denied parole on April 21, 2017.