It’s Long Past Time to Ban Pretextual Stops—Take It From a Public Defender
Police pretextual stops, in which traffic police pull people over as an excuse to search them, should no longer be allowed.
Public Defense
Dan Eichinger
“The Media Emboldens a Police State”: A conversation with movement lawyer Olayemi Olurin
Olayemi Olurin spoke with The Appeal about abolition, living in a police state, Rikers Island, and the media.
New York City Public Defenders Oppose Resuming In-Person Court Appearances
The advocates describe the reopening as unsafe and unnecessary amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NYPD ‘Cancelled’ Police Court Appearances, Leaving People to Sit in Jail
Memos obtained by The Appeal and anecdotes from public defenders reveal how, for a week during protests over police brutality, the NYPD stalled cases by directing officers not to testify in court.
The Suffolk County DA’s Attack On Public Defenders Was Misguided
During a Boston radio show where Rachael Rollins accused defenders of harming Black and Brown communities, the DA demonstrated that she misunderstands the role that prosecutors play in the criminal legal system: caging those very people.
COVID-19 Is Creating a State of Emergency For Incoming Public Defenders. Diploma Privilege Is the Only Solution.
Several states and the District of Columbia have postponed their bar exams because of the pandemic, creating a deadly delay for poor people in need of public defenders.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Wants to Slash Public Defender Funding By $3 Million
Advocates warn that the cuts could push an already overburdened system to the breaking point.
Massachusetts’ Highest Court Is Urged To Address A Crisis In Indigent Defense
A severe shortage of assigned counsel due to low rates of compensation in Hampden County, Massachusetts jeopardizes the rights of defendants.
New Orleans Public Defenders Punished For Locating Key Witness
The attorneys said they did nothing wrong by finding a victim in a rape case who had disappeared, but a judge accused them of making her unavailable.
New Orleans Police Appear to Use Surveillance to Initiate Investigations
City officials say its vast network of cameras are simply a tool when responding to 911 calls and complaints of criminal activity. But several cases suggest the system serves an additional purpose.
Justice in America: Public Defenders on the Front Lines
Josie and Clint talk with Jon Rapping, the founder and president of Gideon’s Promise.
Why Public Defenders Matter More Than Ever in a Time of Reform
In 1963, the Supreme Court handed down Gideon v. Wainwright, which held that the government had to provide a lawyer to any poor defendant facing prison time. While often trumpeted as one of the Court’s greatest modern decisions, it has also been embroiled in controversy from the beginning. Like all Supreme Court opinions that impose new […]
In Louisiana, Defendants Facing the Death Penalty Face a Wait List for An Attorney
In 2016, Louisiana Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards made good on a campaign promise to fix his state’s wildly underfunded public defender system by pushing the state legislature to increase funding to public defender offices working on regular felony and misdemeanor cases. But there was a catch: the majority of the increased funding didn’t come from new taxes or […]