This training program will aid those working to defend persons accused of homicide in drug-related overdose deaths. Each section of the program focuses on a different aspect of these cases. CLE is not available for this program.

“[A]n essential component” of the right to an impartial jury is the “selection of a jury from a representative cross-section of the community.” Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 528 (1975).

Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Electronic Frontier Foundation as Amici Curiae in Support of Defendant’s Petition for Review

On behalf of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) we call upon the City of Aurora to rescind its Request for Proposals, R-2384, soliciting firms for bids to replace the city’s current public defense provider. The decision to replace the current public defense system with a flat fee contract will undercut public safety, undermine community confidence, and represents poor fiscal responsibility.

We write to voice our opposition to Senate Bill 8, a bill that would replace the multi-stakeholder Louisiana Public Defender Board with a state public defender selected by the Governor. If enacted, this legislation would significantly undermine the independence of the defense function in Louisiana, further eroding the community’s trust in our legal institutions and negatively impacting public safety, while wholly failing to address the core need of the state’s public defense system – a stable and robust stream of funding to insure the provision of constitutionally effective representation.

Brief of Amici Curiae Juvenile Law Center, the Sentencing Project, the Gault Center, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Prison Policy Initiative in Support of Respondents Joao Neves, Keith Nunes, Pablo Ortega, and Mario Monteiro.

Brief of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, (ACLUM) Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL), and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) as Amicus Curiae in Support of Respondent.

Brief of Amici Curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Support of Appellant and Reversal

Find training materials and resources to assist attorneys in providing high quality representation as part of the Texas Counsel At First Appearance (CAFA) Project.

The ‘trial penalty’ refers to the substantial difference between the sentence offered in a plea offer prior to trial versus the sentence a defendant receives after trial. This penalty is now so severe and pervasive that it has virtually eliminated the constitutional right to a trial. To avoid the penalty, accused persons must surrender many other fundamental rights which are essential to a fair justice system. [NYSACDL & NACDL] [Released March 2021]

Featuring Wade Banium, Bail Division Chief, and Sarah Wood, General Counsel, Harris County Public Defender’s Office. Discussion moderated by Bonnie Hoffman, Senior Director of Public Defense, NACDL

Brief of National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers and Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice in Support of Appellant

Joint Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amicus Curie in Support of Appellant

Brief of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Innocence Project as Amici Curiae in Support of Terrence Jerome Richardson

Brief of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amici Curiae in Support of Defendant-Respondent