2026 News Release Archive

NACDL’s Public Affairs & Communications Department issues news releases on behalf of the association concerning developing news events as well as announcements and policy positions of the association.

News Release ~ Criminal Case Tracker

NACDL Launches National ‘Criminal Case Tracker’ as Federal Grand Juries and Trial Juries Rebel Against Prosecutorial Overreach – Washington, DC (February 18, 2026) – Amid growing concerns about federal charging practices, NACDL has launched its new Criminal Case Tracker. This new digital resource, available at www.nacdl.org/casetracker, provides defense counsel and the public with a structured, continually updated view of select federal prosecutions that reflect emerging enforcement theories, novel legal applications, and departures from historic charging practices. 

News Release ~ ICE Officer Conduct

NACDL Statement on ICE Officers' Conduct and the Preservation of Due Process  – Washington, DC (January 24, 2026) – In response to mounting concerns regarding federal enforcement interactions and the necessity of rigorous oversight, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) President Andrew Birrell and Executive Director Lisa Wayne issued the following statement regarding the urgent need for systemic reform and accountability for ICE personnel.

News Release ~ Ellingburg

Supreme Court Unanimously Curbs “Punishment Without End”: Restitution Declared a Criminal Penalty, Not a Civil Debt — Washington, DC (January 20, 2026) — In a landmark 9-0 ruling on January 20, the Supreme Court of the United States curbed the government’s ability to keep individuals in a permanent "debt-trap." In Ellingburg v. United States (No. 24-482), the Court ruled that federal restitution is “plainly criminal punishment.”

 

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