The Maine agency responsible for hiring lawyers for poor defendants has repeatedly hired lawyers and staff members with criminal backgrounds and disciplinary issues, according to an investigative report.
The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense is celebrating its 100th anniversary by also celebrating the contributions two young lawyers have made to advance access to justice in their communities.
A former Washington inmate claims in a lawsuit that he pleaded guilty to two felony charges after getting bad advice from an appointed lawyer who wasn’t licensed in the state.
A Philadelphia family court judge has refused to wear a face mask during in-person court hearings amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has sometimes ordered lawyers to remove their face masks, according to a letter by a public defender group.
Judge rejects TRO in suit to stop court reopening U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter Jr. refused to issue on Friday a temporary restraining order preventing in-court appearances in nonemergency criminal matters in New York City. Carter will host a telephone hearing July 21 to discuss a request for a preliminary…
At least 837 attorney-client calls were recorded by Maine jails in the last year in a “massive breach of attorney-client privilege,” according to an investigative report.
Six public defender groups in New York City filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt resumption of in-person court appearances for nonemergency criminal matters in New York City.
Contract public defenders in Indiana who earn median pay make only about $5.16 per hour after covering overhead expenses, according to a June study by the Indiana Public Defender Commission.
A California district attorney has vowed to file a whistleblower complaint against a public defender who criticized prosecutors’ role in perpetuating racial bias.
A study of lawyer appointments has found that judges were more likely to appoint lawyers who had contributed to their election campaigns to represent indigent defendants than they were to appoint nondonors.
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.
Public defender group bypasses judge who rejected all release bids The Defender Association of Philadelphia has withdrawn all its petitions for inmate release before Judge Anne Marie Coyle, after she rejected every detainee’s request over a two-day period.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…
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.
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.
