Indigent Defense

California Supreme Court orders electronic recording for indigent litigants

The California Supreme Court said Monday state trial courts lacking sufficient court reporters to staff courtrooms must provide electronic case recordings to civil litigants who can’t afford to hire their own stenographers.

Aug 13, 2026 10:02 AM CDT

Former Queens Defenders executive director sentenced to 43 months in prison

The co-founder and former executive director of Queens Defenders, a New York City legal services group for indigent defendants, was sentenced to 43 months in prison Tuesday after she admitted that she and her ex-husband stole from the organization.

Jul 29, 2026 9:36 AM CDT

Lawyer brings experience as a Cuban immigrant to work with Hispanic community

Jany Martínez-Ward is co-owner of the Ward Law Group with her husband, Gregory Ward. The firm, which has more than 200 employees and offices in Miami; Orlando, Florida; and New York City, primarily represents Hispanic victims of car accidents and other serious personal injury cases.

May 13, 2026 11:02 AM CDT

Majority of Americans find justice system unfair, new survey says

Most Americans continue to be deeply skeptical about the fairness of the justice system, according to a recent survey by Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization focusing on careers in public service for lawyers.

Apr 14, 2026 9:28 AM CDT

DOJ guts program helping immigrants receive affordable legal representation

The Department of Justice has gutted a program that helps low-income and indigent immigrants receive competent and affordable legal representation, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Mar 25, 2026 2:02 PM CDT

New public defender office will assist defendants in Supreme Court

The federal judiciary has approved a new office that will help improve the quality of representation for indigent defendants with cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mar 11, 2026 9:43 AM CDT

Criminal defendants in Oregon will have charges dismissed if they can’t get timely legal representation

Criminal defendants in Oregon who cannot get timely legal representation from the state must have their charges dismissed, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Feb 6, 2026 9:20 AM CST

Supreme Court sees dramatic decline in appeals from indigent, poor litigants

Appeals from indigent or poor litigants have decreased precipitously at the U.S. Supreme Court over the past several terms and are now at their lowest level in the 21st century, the National Law Journal reports.

Jan 30, 2026 9:17 AM CST

Offering financial incentives among possible strategies to attract lawyers to this state

Financially incentivizing more attorneys to practice in “high-need areas” in Wisconsin is chief among proposals from a Wisconsin Supreme Court committee tasked with addressing ongoing attorney shortages in the state.

Dec 11, 2025 2:01 PM CST

How tough-on-crime policies shift the burden to public defenders

Across the country, criminal justice policy is undergoing yet another pendulum swing. After over a decade of reform efforts focused on decarceration and diversion, states are now reembracing the all-too-familiar tough-on-crime approaches.

Nov 24, 2025 1:55 PM CST

Man accused of fatal shooting after release on unrelated charges because of lack of appointed lawyers

A Boston man has been charged with murder less than a month after unrelated charges against him were dropped because of a lack of court-appointed lawyers.

Nov 19, 2025 11:58 AM CST

About 40 court-appointed defense lawyers in 1 state refuse new cases; shutdown also affects local DC courts

The government shutdown affecting court-appointed lawyers in federal cases is now being felt in Washington, D.C., where money is running out for private attorneys representing indigent defendants in local courts.

Nov 6, 2025 9:39 AM CST

Justice by Design: Can legal tech deliver on its promise?

Justice can be defined as the quality of being impartial or fair. In practice, fairness has never been evenly distributed. Access to justice has always been available to those who can afford it, while those without the necessary means were often left to their own devices. That unfortunate reality reflects inherent inequity; when only the wealthiest in a society can afford legal representation, injustice inevitably follows.

Oct 24, 2025 11:05 AM CDT

Contractual caseload quotas force Oregon public defenders ‘to operate beyond their ethical capacity,’ suit says

A new state contract for organizations providing public defender services in Oregon has an unenforceable quota provision for caseloads that would often make it impossible for defense lawyers to do their jobs, according to a lawsuit filed Sept. 30.

Oct 9, 2025 9:31 AM CDT

Utah contracts with former federal defender chief to represent suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting death

Utah County has hired a private lawyer with significant criminal defense experience to represent the man accused of fatally shooting conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

Sep 26, 2025 9:59 AM CDT