Public Defenders

Many federal inmates in Brooklyn are largely without heat for a week; suit claims lack of lawyer access

Updated: The U.S. Justice Department said Sunday it will work with the Bureau of Prisons to investigate why a federal prison in Brooklyn had limited power and heat for the past week, leaving many inmates to endure cold cells as outside temperatures dropped well below freezing. A Justice Department spokesperson,…

Feb 5, 2019 9:15 AM CST

This public defender was juggling 195 felony cases at once; ‘the workload can be overwhelming’

Back in April 2017, Jack Talaska was working as a public defender in Lafayette, Louisiana, assigned to handle 194 felony cases. Workload studies indicate he needed to do the work of five lawyers to serve his clients, 113 of whom had been formally charged. The New York Times spoke with…

Feb 1, 2019 2:45 PM CST

Once again, judiciary pushes back date when funds will run out, says this is final extension

Updated: For the third time, the federal judiciary has pushed back the date it expects funds for federal court operations to run out. The funds are expected to be depleted on Jan. 31, according to a press release.

Jan 23, 2019 8:55 AM CST

Federal judiciary says money won’t run out just yet

Updated: The federal judiciary will be able to keep paying its employees until about Jan. 25, thanks to efforts to defer and delay expenses for noncritical functions. Courts and federal public defender offices are delaying new hires, cutting travel unrelated to cases and deferring some contracts, a court spokesperson told…

Jan 16, 2019 9:08 AM CST

State and governor can’t be sued over public defender caseloads, 8th Circuit says

Missouri and its governor have immunity in a suit claiming indigent defendants in the state aren’t receiving meaningful representation in violation of the Sixth Amendment, a federal appeals court has ruled. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis ruled Jan. 10 in a would-be class action filed…

Jan 15, 2019 1:45 PM CST

Criminal defense lawyer arrested for alleged threats against attorneys

A Louisville, Kentucky, lawyer who won a murder acquittal for a client earlier this month has been arrested in connection with alleged threats against two lawyers in his own child custody battle. The lawyer, 51-year-old Brendan McLeod, was charged with retaliating against participants in a legal process, terroristic threatening and…

Nov 29, 2018 12:50 PM CST

Crowdfunding campaign brings books to Texas jail

Public defender Amalia Beckner saw need at the Harris County Jail in Houston, and worked for change on social media.

Nov 1, 2018 2:05 AM CDT

Judge orders detention of public defender for ‘acting like I’m some kind of idiot’

A Wisconsin judge ordered a short detention for an assistant public defender last Friday, saying he was in contempt for “acting like I’m some kind of idiot.” Judge David Borowski of Milwaukee County ordered the detention of Puck Tsai after the defense lawyer argued against modifying the signature bond for…

Oct 30, 2018 4:11 PM CDT

ABA weighs in on California Supreme Court case affecting state’s new bail reform law

Updated: The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief Tuesday asking the California Supreme Court to affirm a decision critical of that state's bail schedule.

Oct 10, 2018 11:55 AM CDT

Story about overworked public defender is winner of ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest

A federal law clerk in Wilmington, North Carolina, has won the 2018 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction for her story about an overworked federal public defender who represents a man on a drug charge that could get him 10 to 40 years in prison. Lisa Taylor is…

Aug 3, 2018 12:08 PM CDT

Letters: Indigent defense

Regarding “Defendant’s Choice,” June, as someone who once had the job of appointing counsel of the public defender’s office to various indigent clients, the criteria was the attorneys’ caseloads and the gravity of each and the types of cases. We were trying to spread the attorneys between all criminal courtrooms,…

Aug 1, 2018 12:35 AM CDT

Text-message reminders are a cheap and effective way to reduce pretrial detention

With just a couple of dollars, courts and public defenders can keep people from being arrested.

Court date reminders sent to defendants via text message are an inexpensive, simple intervention being tested across the country.

Jul 17, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court says alleged sex harassment by former county attorney didn’t merit ouster

An elected prosecutor in southeast Iowa says he will be back on the job after the state’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that alleged sexual harassment didn’t qualify as willful misconduct meriting removal from office under state law. Former Van Buren County Attorney Abraham Watkins apologized for his behavior at a…

Jul 12, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

The Chicago police legacy of extracting false confessions is costing the city millions

Of the 29 wrongful conviction rulings involving false confessions in the United States in 2017, 13 were in Cook County. Of the more than 260 false confession cases since 1989, about 25 percent have come from Cook County.

Jul 1, 2018 12:15 AM CDT

This city may have the first criminal justice system to be led entirely by black women

The city of South Fulton, Georgia, has a municipal court system that is led entirely by black women, but it wasn’t part of any kind of master plan, according to Chief Judge Tiffany Carter Sellers.

Jun 26, 2018 7:00 AM CDT