A lawsuit challenging Michigan’s inadequate defense services for the poor received an important victory on Friday, when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the suit could go forward. New York could take a cue from Michigan; a similar lawsuit is pending in the NY courts.
The U.S. criminal justice system is burdened by myriad problems ranging from over-incarceration to racial and ethnic disparities in prosecutions. In the long term, the high costs of incarceration and the effects of a flawed system are unsustainable.
The Brennan Center filed an amicus brief urging Michigan's highest court to hear the case of Duncan v. Michigan, regarding underrepresented criminal defendants.
Putting the Sixth Amendment aside….In a dramatic policy shift, the Nevada Supreme Court has directed Las Vegas (Clark County) judges to begin charging fees to indigent defendants for their representation by the public defender’s office. Read more...
A storm has been brewing in Maryland regarding the recent firing of state Public Defender Nancy Forster, and the related attack on several defender programs that she championed, including the Northwest Defenders . . .
