Public Defenders

Will Allegheny County interns receive improv training? Yes, and play Dungeons & Dragons too

When the 20 summer interns arrive in June for their stint at the Allegheny County public defender’s office, part of their 10-week training will be all fun and games.

Apr 23, 2026 9:38 AM CDT

Winning From Losing: Attorney who lost Gideon looks back on landmark case and how it reshaped his career

On the day Bruce Jacob came to the U.S. Supreme Court to argue one of the nation’s most significant cases, there was just one person in the public seating area: his wife. Ann Jacob watched her 27-year-old husband stand before the high court for the first time to argue for the state of Florida in the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright case in 1963. The young lawyer faced the imposing Abe Fortas, who later became a Supreme Court justice. Jacob recalls this moment and how it forever changed his life and career, in his new book, The Gideon Case: Inside the Supreme Court’s Historic Right to Counsel Decision. This March marked the 63th anniversary of the court’s decision.

Mar 31, 2026 11:10 AM 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

$800K awarded by jury to 2 public defenders who sued for discrimination

A sheriff’s deputy in Washington County, Oregon, discriminated against two lawyers who are women of color, a jury found Wednesday, according to the Oregonian.

Jan 22, 2026 9:44 AM CST

New legal defense for Rob Reiner’s son steps into role

A Los Angeles County deputy public defender has taken over representing Nick Reiner after his high-profile attorney recently stepped down from the murder case.

Jan 12, 2026 11:59 AM CST

LA public defender forms pilot program designed to help defendants with neurocognitive disorders

Public defender Noah Cox had long noticed that certain clients had trouble expressing themselves and navigating the complex legal system they were facing. Many had a traumatic brain injury, dementia or a developmental disorder. Some were being misdiagnosed with mental health conditions or simply tagged with a low IQ.

Jan 6, 2026 9:10 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

1 prosecution brief had AI hallucinations, but other issues were human error, district attorney says

Four briefs filed in criminal cases by the district attorney’s office in Nevada County, California, had hallucinations that were likely caused by the use of artificial intelligence, according to lawyers for one of the defendants affected.

Nov 26, 2025 9:16 AM 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

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

Judge wielded power ‘like a tyrant’ but is ‘not beyond redemption,’ state supreme court says in removal order

The Indiana Supreme Court has removed a judge from office and permanently banned him from the bench, saying he “wielded his position of power like a tyrant” as he favored certain litigants while degrading others.

Sep 17, 2025 10:49 AM CDT