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Public Defense
On March 18, 1963, in Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court laid the foundation for our nation’s public defense system. In their ruling the Court made clear that providing counsel to those facing criminal charges was a “fundamental right, essential to a fair trial.” Today we continue to fight to make the constitutional promises of counsel and of a fair trial realities.
Strong Women, Bold Defense: A Journey Through the Legacy and Evolution of Women in Public Defense
In this webinar, we delve into the role of women in public defense today, examining the obstacles they still face and envisioning the path ahead. This webinar promises a comprehensive exploration of the subject, shedding light on the vital contributions of women throughout history and sparking discussions about the challenges and progress in the field.
Holistic Defense in Brief
Check out this brief prepared by our grant partners at RTI International.
Holistic defense aims to mitigate the harm of criminal legal system involvement by using a multidisciplinary team—often composed of social workers, housing advocates, family and immigration attorneys, and mental health providers—to address clients’ needs far beyond their criminal case.
Gideon in 60 Video Campaign
Defense lawyers fight every day to protect the rights and interests of both individual clients and the community. Listen to the voices of public defense share their stories about the work they do, the role they play, why they do this work, and the ways in which they serve their communities.
Public Defense Op-Eds
Public defense lawyers are powerful advocates in and out of the courtroom. Read about the power of public defense in these opinion articles.
Have a story to share? Our communications team stands ready to help you bring your voice to life through an op-ed.
Public Defense Scholarships
It is critical to ensure public defense lawyers have access to high quality training. Through generous grant funding, NACDL is able to offer scholarships to help defray the costs of registration and travel. Interested in our scholarship program?
Want to help support training opportunities for public defense lawyers? Make a donation to NACDL’s Foundation for Criminal Justice.
Advocacy
Everyone has theright to have a skilled and zealous advocate when they face a criminal accusation. However, in many states and localities people are left waiting months or more to have a lawyer assigned to their case. Through our amicus work and direct litigation, NACDL works to ensure the right to counsel is protected, advocating for the prompt appointment of counsel.
In cooperation with WACDL, the NYU Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, and Winston & Strawn, NACDL filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin to redress the state’s inability to timely provide access to counsel.
The past decades have seen growth in the use of systemic litigation to address underfunded, understaffed, under-resourced, and overloaded public defense systems. Read more about systemic litigation across the country.
Questions about NACDL's work in Public Defense, contact Director of Public Defense, Bonnie Hoffman.
BHoffman@nacdl.org
@GideonGuardian
