1963
Gideon v. Wainwright
The Supreme Court's recognition that the right to counsel is fundamental and that states must provide attorneys to those who cannot afford them. The constitutional foundation of indigent defense.
Cases & Principles
The doctrines that make a defender's work possible.
A short reference to the cases, amendments, and reform issues that shaped two decades of practice.
U.S. Const.
Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel
Effective assistance of counsel is not an optional courtesy. It is the only mechanism that makes the rest of the criminal procedure meaningful.
Ongoing
Bail Reform
Cash bail jails the poor and frees the rich for identical conduct. Risk-based and treatment-based alternatives belong at the front of every criminal docket.
Reform Agenda
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
Statutory floors replace judicial discretion with arithmetic, and disproportionately fall on the same communities already over-policed.
National
Public Defender Caseload Crisis
Defenders carrying 80+ active felonies cannot deliver the constitutional standard the Sixth Amendment requires. Funding is a justice issue.
Doctrine
Constitutional Protections for Indigent Defendants
From Brady to Strickland to Padilla, these are the doctrines that turn a public defender's caseload into a constitutional practice.
In Focus
Monroe Parish Court Drug Intervention Program
One of the strongest examples of rehabilitation-centered justice in the District. The program pairs court supervision with the resources that make recovery possible.
Court-supervised treatment
Stable housing support
Vocational training
Counseling and mentoring
Long-term rehabilitation resources
Regular judicial check-ins