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Public Defenders

696 ABA Journal Public Defenders articles.

Lawyer is accused of recruiting clients into prostitution ring he ran from his home

A 71-year-old criminal defense lawyer in Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Saturday for allegedly using his legal practice to recruit clients into a prostitution ring that he ran out of his home.

Apr 21, 2020 12:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Public defender group bypasses judge; top state court upholds COVID-19 business shutdown

Public defender group bypasses judge who rejected all release bids The Defender Association of Philadelphia has withdrawn all its petitions for inmate release before Judge Anne Marie Coyle, after she rejected every detainee’s request over a two-day period. Coyle even increased bail for four inmates during the release hearings and…

Apr 16, 2020 4:33 PM CDT

Public defender’s office delivers Easter lunches to homeless people amid coronavirus crisis

Homeless people housed in two Woodland, California, motels during the COVID-19 pandemic were treated to hot Easter lunches, thanks to the Yolo County public defender’s office.

Apr 14, 2020 4:18 PM CDT

Public defenders in this state are told to slash budgets as traffic-ticket funding plummets

Public defenders in Louisiana face uncertainty over the future of their jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts a big source of their funding: traffic tickets.

Apr 9, 2020 2:53 PM CDT

Deputy public defender alleges judge denigrated his Jewish heritage and pushed him off a boat

A deputy public defender in California has alleged that a judge at a 2019 Memorial Day outing called him a “Jew boy” and pushed him off a boat.

Apr 8, 2020 1:34 PM CDT

ABA president applauds bill putting public defenders ‘on an equitable playing field with prosecutors’

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez commended on Thursday two federal lawmakers who introduced legislation that would boost support for public defenders with a $250 million grant program.

Feb 28, 2020 12:19 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Trump bashes Sotomayor and Ginsburg; PDs reach deal in masturbating-inmate suit

Trump says Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg should recuse in his cases President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg should recuse themselves in all Trump-related matters before the high court. Trump called for recusal on Twitter and in a news conference. Trump…

Feb 25, 2020 4:24 PM CST

Grand jury declines to indict defense lawyer for digging up shell casings

A grand jury declined Monday to indict a defense lawyer in Kentucky accused of digging up shell casings linked to a murder case and keeping them in a safe for more than six years.

Feb 18, 2020 11:52 AM CST

Could discussing race during criminal trials reduce juror bias?

Empirical studies show that discussion of race during trials and pretrial hearings reduces reliance on stereotypes, according to a paper published in the Seattle Journal for Social Justice.

Feb 11, 2020 12:41 PM CST

Federal judge refuses to OK consent decree limiting caseloads for Missouri public defenders

A federal judge in Missouri has refused to approve a consent decree that would have limited state public defenders to no more than 173.3 hours worth of cases each month, a standard that is based on a 40-hour workweek.

Jan 30, 2020 2:30 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Biden likes Obama for Supreme Court; ex-law student among successful GirlsDoPorn plaintiffs

Biden would consider Obama as Supreme Court nominee Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden said Dec. 28 he would appoint former President Barack Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court, if he would take the position. Biden spoke in response to a question at a campaign event. Biden,…

Jan 6, 2020 4:32 PM CST

Pro se litigants in pop culture show why representing yourself can be a dangerous decision

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has a weekly mailing list that sends out the court’s published and unpublished cases. They arrive in quick succession every Thursday morning. It’s a bit of a task to review them all, but I try to categorize the cases for future research. The unpublished…

Nov 25, 2019 10:45 AM CST

Missouri judge has literally been ordering overworked public defenders to violate ethics rule

Judges across Missouri have turned a blind eye to problems faced by overburdened public defenders by ignoring their pleas for help, forcing assembly-line justice and even requiring violation of ethics rules, critics say.

Nov 22, 2019 10:39 AM CST

The Bail Project pays defendants’ bail as part of a plan to end money bail entirely

Modeled after a fund started by public defenders more than a decade ago, the Bail Project not only pays defendants’ bail but connects them to social services and makes sure they show up to court.

Nov 1, 2019 2:40 AM CDT

Man charged in church shooting is accused of severely beating his public defender

A New Hampshire public defender was in intensive care after an alleged attack by a client during a jailhouse meeting.

Oct 23, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

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BigLaw's manufactured 'arms race' for talent recruitment harms us all

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