After a pay dispute led to a work stoppage in late May, courts in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, dismissed cases of indigent defendants who had no legal representation for 45 days.
Iowa has one of the most aggressive court systems in the country when it comes to billing defendants for court-appointed attorneys, even in cases where they're acquitted or charges are dropped.
Vincent Yakaitis is unfortunately not the first such defendant. He will also not be the last.
A new report details how plea bargaining can hurt defendants and warps the justice system.
Convincing evidence of his innocence has been available for years. But the criminal legal system prioritizes procedure and bureaucracy over liberty.
Yet the civil rights movement has long had a gun rights component.
By smearing public defenders, the Texas senator shows what he thinks of constitutional rights.
“New York enacted its firearm licensing requirements to criminalize gun ownership by racial and ethnic minorities.”
The state’s new rules requiring information-sharing with defense lawyers are not to blame here.
The ACLU argues the lack of state funding and oversight creates an unconstitutional lack of access to legal counsel in poorer California counties.
Over 23 years ago Missouri’s criminal justice system failed a man charged with murder. This week he’s looking at his last best chance at freedom.
In many parts of the U.S., those who can't afford a lawyer must wait months to meet with public defenders.
