In September 2020, NACDL issued a statewide call to action encouraging members and the community to contact their legislators in support of SB 5007, a bill to allow a defendant to decide whether to be sentenced by a judge or a jury, except in capital cases. SB 5007 was a priority bill of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) and partner organization, Justice Forward Virginia. At the conclusion of the special session, SB 5007 passed with a delayed enactment clause and went into effect July 1, 2021.
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RECENTLY ADDED & UPCOMING
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The Champion
May 2025
What are the three goals of voir dire? How can a short juror questionnaire help defense counsel?
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Amicus Brief
Jenner & Block LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice
Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and New York Council of Defense Lawyers as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment.
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News Release
News Release ~ Law Enforcement Executive Order
NACDL Warns Executive Order's Dangerous Overreach Undermines Community Safety and Trust in Police – Washington, DC (April 29, 2025) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) expressed deep concern regarding the Executive Order titled "Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens," cautioning that several of its proposals represent a dangerous overreach that undermines these goals by jeopardizing individual rights and the legitimacy of law enforcement in the eyes of the community.
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Event
2025 Race Matters Seminar
"Addressing the Intersection of Race in the Criminal Legal System"
LOCATION: The Mayo Hotel, Tulsa, OK
DATES: May 21-23, 2025 -
Webinar
NIST: New Developments in Standards and Related Case Law [Engage & Exchange]
EXCLUSIVE NACDL MEMBER BENEFIT
WHEN: Wednesday, June 11, 2:00-3:30pm ET / 11:00am-12:30pm PT
CLE CREDIT: not available
COST: Free
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Using Chat GPT in Criminal Cases - Writing Better Prompts
Want a motion written in plain language but grounded in Tennessee case law? Need a summary of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence with primary and secondary citations? This is where you learn how to get that—on demand, and with far less editing. This training is designed specifically for attorneys—busy professionals who need fast, accurate, and case-relevant AI support. Whether you’re drafting motions, brainstorming legal strategy, summarizing complex case law, or preparing cross-examinations, the quality of your AI output comes down to one thing: how you ask for it.
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Alcohol, Blackouts and Consent in Sex Cases
This comprehensive training program provides defense attorneys with a rigorous, science-backed approach to dismantling prosecutorial narratives, exposing unreliable testimony, and ensuring that juries are properly educated on the complexities of memory, intoxication, and consent. You'll explores critical mistakes and misconceptions encountered in these cases, including errors in memory reconstruction after an event, incorrect inferences, cognitive schemas, suggestibility, contamination and misinformation, mistakes of fact and more.
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Overcoming the Presumption of Guilt and Defining Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt, what is it?
In order to win criminal cases, the defense practitioner must object to a reasonable doubt standard that lowers the burden of guilt. This program will discuss proven methods to argue and define reasonable doubt persuasively to a jury. You’ll learn how define reasonable doubt using metaphors and hypothetical scenarios that force juries to dispute the evidence, conflicts in the evidence, or even lack of evidence in your case.
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The DIY of DNA: Exoneration Through DNA Evidence
This presentation might be the first time you’re truly able to truly grasp the fundamentals of DNA evidence. This critical presentation blends real-world storytelling with clear, practical instruction—making DNA evidence finally feel accessible, even to non-scientists—while inspiring attorneys to dig deeper, ask smarter questions, and approach forensic science with newfound confidence. You’ll learn how to identify and interpret electropherograms, understand autosomal vs. Y-STR testing, and recognize the limits of DNA evidence—particularly when it involves partial or mixed samples.
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AI Rising: Integrating & Fighting the Use of Artificial Intelligence
This unique online training will discuss hot topics in AI, including how you might integrate these tools into your practice, use them ethically, and, how you might attack law enforcement’s use of AI tools to ensnare your clients. You'll also uncover e-discovery and combing through terabytes of data all the way to using ChatGPT to test cross-examination questions. These tools can generate content and reach conclusions.
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A Defender's Guide to Federal Evidence - 2nd Edition
This brand-new 2nd Edition 2024 Guide to Federal Evidence is the only federal evidence handbook written exclusively for criminal defense lawyers. The updated 2024 Guide analyzes each Federal Rule of Evidence and outlines the main evidentiary issues that confront criminal defense lawyers. It also summarizes countless defense favorable cases and provides tips on how to avoid common evidentiary pitfalls. The 2nd Edition Guide contains multiple new and updated user-friendly flowcharts aimed at helping the criminal defense lawyer tackle evidence problems.