Public Defenders

Justice is dispensed quickly in misdemeanor courts; is there an ‘assembly-line mentality’?

Attorney General Eric Holder has complained that misdemeanor courts have almost an “assembly-line mentality” in which some defendants are denied lawyers and are “unnecessarily imprisoned.” The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) notes Holder’s statement in a story examining misdemeanor courts, which are flooded with cases as a result of tough-on-crime…

Dec 1, 2014 8:20 AM CST

Senior prosecutor is fired one day after courtroom outburst

A senior prosecutor in Jefferson County, Kentucky, was fired Thursday following a Wednesday courtroom outburst during a contentious hearing. The Louisville Courier-Journal provided a copy of the courtroom video of the incident. In it, prosecutor Robert Fleck called a public defender “wet behind the ears” and said, “For the record…

Oct 30, 2014 3:00 PM CDT

New York will beef up indigent defense in five counties in ‘groundbreaking’ lawsuit settlement

Indigent defense in five New York counties will be beefed up and handled by the state’s Office of Indigent Legal Services in a lawsuit settlement heralded as a possible blueprint for a statewide approach. The state will help pay for more defense lawyers and other support staffers in the five…

Oct 22, 2014 11:34 AM CDT

Once on death row for murder committed when he was 1,000 miles away, Texas man is free after plea

Construction laborer Manuel Velez was on the job in Tennessee, some 1,000 miles from his home in Brownsville, Texas, when his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son sustained fatal head injuries, according to medical evidence provided by an expert witness for the prosecution. But Velez was nonetheless convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced…

Oct 8, 2014 2:10 PM CDT

Judge threatens to remove capital defense lawyer, cites missed deadlines and overzealous motions

A federal judge in Boston told a capital defense lawyer on Tuesday that she had ruined her credibility and that he might sanction her or remove her from the case. Senior U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said lawyer Danalynn Recer had missed deadlines and violated an order to refrain from…

Sep 25, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Lawyer fights judge’s order calling her ineffective and removing her from murder case defense

Calling a Georgia lawyer ineffective, a trial court has removed her from a murder case and brought in the public defender’s office this week to represent her client. Attorney Veronica Brinson is fighting the order by Bibb County Judge Howard Simms, contending that her client, Frank Reeves, 74, has the…

Sep 18, 2014 2:35 PM CDT

Emma Greenwood helps the defense bar integrate tech—and levels the criminal justice playing field

Emma Greenwood’s background—working for tech companies and startups—came in handy when she started her own law practice in 2007. The New York City lawyer found herself helping attorneys who weren’t comfortable with technology familiarize themselves with the many different types of electronically stored information available in a given case. Her…

Sep 18, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

Judge who ordered deputy to shock ‘rude’ pro se defendant has been taken off bench

Updated: It appears that a call by the public defender for the state of Maryland to ban a senior circuit court judge from hearing cases may have been heeded by the state’s top court. On Friday, the Maryland Court of Appeals said there was “good cause” to remove retired Judge…

Sep 10, 2014 11:45 AM CDT

Pennsylvania chief justice: Federal Community Defender Office overburdens state courts

Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille lashed out at the Federal Community Defender Office in an opinion on Wednesday that said the group “insinuates itself into the role of de facto statewide defender in capital cases.” In a single-justice opinion, Castille said the Philadelphia-based office had not responded to a claim…

Sep 5, 2014 7:31 AM CDT

In court after missing anger management courses, man attacks his public defender, authorities say

In court Tuesday because he failed to attend court-ordered anger-management classes after an assault conviction, a South Dakota man wound up facing new charges after he attacked an assistant public defender in a conference room, according to the local sheriff’s office. Kelly John Lange, 34, “tipped over the conference room…

Sep 3, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Court-appointed lawyer isn’t at murder defendant’s ‘beck and call,’ judge says

In the 22 months since he’s been charged with first-degree murder, Jerry Crosby says he has been able to spend only 32 hours talking with his court-appointed defense attorney. “He never comes to see me,” said Crosby of attorney Kenneth Moynihan during a Monday court hearing in Syracuse, N.Y. “I’m…

Aug 18, 2014 6:39 PM CDT

Ethics charges reveal new details in case of judge who punched public defender

A Florida judge who struck an assistant public defender in a hallway outside his Viera courtroom is now facing a legal ethics case. Assistant public defender Andrew Weinstock was representing a client before Brevard County Judge John Murphy when they got into the argument that led to the physical altercation.…

Aug 14, 2014 6:54 PM CDT

SCOTUS sends inmate’s claim he didn’t authorize cert petition to ethics board

The U.S. Supreme Court has forwarded to Pennsylvania lawyer ethics regulators a death-row inmate’s claim that he never authorized anyone to file a cert petition on his behalf. The Supreme Court referred the claim to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board for “any investigation or action it finds appropriate,” report the Legal…

Aug 12, 2014 2:24 PM CDT

Prosecutor is accused of adding admission of guilt to transcript; he said it was a joke

A California prosecutor is facing an ethics complaint that alleges he added an admission of guilt to a transcript provided to the suspect’s public defender. Deputy District Attorney Robert Murray of Kern County has said he was joking when he sent the altered transcript to a deputy public defender, and…

Aug 12, 2014 12:18 PM CDT

Study is evidence of ‘crisis in public defense systems,’ ABA president says

An ABA study of Missouri public defenders serves as a blueprint for other jurisdictions developing evidence of “crushing workloads,” according to ABA President James R. Silkenat. The study (PDF) found Missouri public defenders have insufficient time to spend on all aspects of their cases, according to an ABA press release.…

Jul 31, 2014 1:36 PM CDT