Judge who cut bail for man linked to later fatal arson had cited his right to counsel

Updated: A judge in Maine is being blamed for reducing bail for a man who was later shot and killed in a standoff with police on Saturday after he allegedly set a fire that killed a person.

Jun 17, 2024 3:31 PM CDT

Migrants who cross the border illegally won’t be allowed a lawyer if they don’t get one pronto

Migrants who enter the United States illegally generally have just four hours to find a lawyer if they want legal assistance in a quest to remain in the country.

Jun 6, 2024 11:49 AM CDT

Citing ‘Sixth Amendment nightmare,’ 9th Circuit allows pretrial release of defendants without lawyers

A federal appeals court upheld an injunction Friday that requires Oregon to release pretrial defendants from custody if they have not received a lawyer within seven days.

Jun 4, 2024 2:06 PM CDT

Court-appointed lawyers are victims of stolen check schemes, prosecutors say; 6 people charged

Six people have been charged with depositing stolen checks intended to pay court-appointed lawyers representing indigent defendants in federal cases in New York.

Feb 8, 2024 12:28 PM CST

In ‘watershed moment,’ report recommends new guidelines for public defender caseloads

Many public defenders are “overloaded” with work, even when caseloads are evaluated under outdated guidelines drafted in 1973 that don't reflect modern-day realities, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Sep 13, 2023 2:24 PM CDT

Family First: A group of Washington lawyers works to keep infants with their mothers

While family separations have long been the norm when treating babies born dependent on substances, recent research suggests allowing a mother to stay with and care for her infant significantly improves their health outcomes.

Sep 7, 2023 11:06 AM CDT

Federal judge orders release of county’s unrepresented defendants, says problem is ‘complete tragedy’

A federal judge in Eugene, Oregon, has ruled that defendants held without lawyers for 10 days in Washington County, Oregon’s jail must be released from custody.

Aug 18, 2023 11:40 AM CDT

High-earning, court-appointed lawyer failed to provide ‘even a modicum of representation,’ suit alleges

When a Houston man was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in July 2018, he was “a happily married 65-year-old man.” By the time that his case was dismissed in February 2022, he had lost his home, his truck and his wife.

Aug 9, 2023 2:13 PM CDT

ABA House OKs updated 10 principles for public defense; ‘we cannot allow a two-tier system of justice’

The House of Delegates approved a measure adopting a new iteration of the ABA Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System at the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver on Monday.

Aug 8, 2023 9:10 AM CDT

ABA asks Supreme Court to review Alabama case involving fixed bail amounts

Apr 3, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

ABA has a long history of advocating for indigent defense and public defenders

For more than a century, the ABA has advocated on issues related to indigent defense, primarily through its Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense. In fact, SCLAID (when it was operating as the Standing Committee on Legal Aid Work) stated in its 1937 annual report: “We believe that every man accused of serious crime is absolutely entitled to counsel and that, if too poor to employ one, society must furnish him that lawyer.”

Apr 1, 2023 12:20 AM CDT

Court backlogs persist in this state because of shortage of attorneys; ‘the wheels of justice depend on lawyers’

Georgia courts are having trouble addressing case backlogs because the state has a shortage of lawyers, including prosecutors and public defenders, the state’s chief justice said this week.

Mar 10, 2023 1:50 PM CST

Lawyer accused of relying on staffer to take CLE classes gets sanction reprieve if he accepts indigent cases

A solo practitioner in Maine may find it difficult to comply with the terms of an ethics sanction imposed for relying on his assistant to take his continuing legal education classes.

Oct 27, 2022 9:05 AM CDT

Utah’s reforms offer model for serving low-income and indigent people, report suggests

The Utah model of reform allowing nonlawyers to offer legal services could be “critical” to serving people who can’t afford them, according to a Stanford Law School study published Tuesday.

Sep 29, 2022 10:42 AM CDT

Massachusetts high court tells defense counsel when to stay quiet about confidential information

Massachusetts’ highest appellate court has instructed lawyers about when to stay quiet about evidence that could incriminate their clients.

Aug 23, 2022 2:00 PM CDT