The Brennan Center co-authored an amicus brief signed by 62 former prosecutors in support of a suit that challenges New York's indigent defense system.
In this case, the Court holds that the right to counsel under the 6th Amendment exists when the charges are first presented against the defendant in a court of law, even if a prosecutor is not yet involved in that specific proceeding.
The Brennan Center was a signatory on a brief filed on behalf of a father who lost custody of his son after being incarcerated. The brief argued that by failing to facilitate reunification and the address the unique circumstances of parental incarceration, the child placement agency violated federal and state law.
In 1999, the Brennan Center filed an amicus brief on the behalf of four elderly tenants against whom the Oakland Housing Authority filed detainer actions for alleged violations of the "drug-related criminal activity" provisions of their leases.
