&gt;&gt;that you can only get actual equal access for all to education&#x2F;trial-defense&#x2F;something-else if you force the rich and powerful to have an equal playing field with everyone else<p>This sort of precedent would only hurt the indigent or impoverished.  Wealthy people have wealthy friends who will pay for their legal defense.  Financing will be offered to the wealthy, allowing them to maintain access to disproportionate resources in their defense.  The poor, not having access to social networks of wealthy friends or family will be screwed.  It&#x27;s bad enough having to get time off of work or find child-care for the poor and working-classes, now they won&#x27;t have access to their meagre resources?<p>I wish society would do a better job of considering the ramifications of what is supposedly being accomplished by the adoption or pursuit of policies.  &quot;Equal playing field&quot; is nice in theory but it took me a few seconds to realize that the wealthy would still be able to marshall considerable resources just like they already do, except that the poor won&#x27;t.