NACDL and Indigenous Leaders Urge President Biden to Grant Clemency to Leonard Peltier – Washington, DC (December 16, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Indigenous leaders has sent President Joseph R. Biden a letter urging him to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier, an 80-year-old Indigenous activist who has spent nearly five decades in federal prison.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Praises Biden Clemency Announcement, Calls for Further Action – Washington, DC (December 12, 2024) – In his latest act of clemency, President Biden has pardoned 39 individuals and commuted the sentences of 1,500 people released on CARES Act home confinement. Among these individuals are clients of NACDL’s Return to Freedom Project. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) commends President Biden for what we are hopeful will not be the last exercise of his executive power.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Condemns Selective Prosecutions, Calls on Biden to Increase Use of Clemency Power – Washington, DC (December 2, 2024) – While President Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, on federal tax and gun charges has sparked debate, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) remains steadfast in its commitment to combating overzealous, politicized, or selective prosecutions in all forms.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Joins with Defense Community Leaders to Call on Biden to Commute All Federal Death Sentences -- Washington, DC (November 22, 2024) -- The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), along with several other leading criminal legal defense and human rights organizations, is urging President Biden to use his executive power to commute all federal death sentences, sparing some 40 lives by changing their sentences to life without parole. Such a move would adhere to a Biden campaign pledge to end the federal death penalty.

Seven Elected to Serve on the Board of Directors of Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (Nov. 13, 2024) – Seven individuals were elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association’s Fall Board Meeting in Nashville, TN. The Board Members below join those who are currently serving their terms on the NACDL Board of Directors.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Issues Statement on Election of Donald Trump as 47th President – Washington, D.C. (Nov. 7, 2024) – Christopher A. Wellborn, President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) stated: “The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy, and millions of Americans exercised this fundamental right in choosing our nation’s next leader. While reactions to the election’s outcome may be sharply divided, as defense attorneys, we remain united by our mission to ensure the criminal legal system operates fairly for all accused."

Illinois Prison Project Receives the 2024 Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award From Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (Aug. 15, 2024) – The Illinois Prison Project (IPP) was presented with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ (NACDL) Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award at NACDL's 23rd Annual State Criminal Justice Network (SCJN) Conference. The award recognizes an individual or group whose tremendous efforts have led to progressive reform of a state criminal legal system.

New Report from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Outlines How Marsy's Law Undermines the Criminal Legal System – Washington, DC (August 13, 2024) – A new report from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) outlines the ways in which Marsy’s Law, the colloquial name for a model Victims’ Bill of Rights, undermines fundamental due process rights.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Presents Champion of Justice Legal Award to Pennsylvania Attorney Lisa A. Mathewson – Washington, DC (July 29, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) presented its Champion of Justice Legal Award to noted Pennsylvania attorney Lisa A. Mathewson at its Albert J. Krieger Annual Meeting in Seattle on July 27.

Rock Hill, SC  Lawyer Christopher A. Wellborn Installed as President of Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar –Washington, DC (Jul. 29, 2024) – Christopher A. Wellborn was sworn in as President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association’s annual meeting in Seattle, WA on July 27.

Washington, DC Attorney Pat Cresta-Savage Receives Champion of Justice Award from Nation’s Defense Bar – Washington, DC (July 29, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) presented criminal defense lawyer Pat Cresta-Savage with the Champion of Justice Legal Award at the Association’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle.

New Hampshire Attorney Michael J. Iacopino Receives Prestigious 2024 Heeney Award from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (July 29, 2024) – Noted attorney Michael J. Iacopino of Manchester, NH, received the Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) on July 27, at the Association’s Albert J. Krieger Annual Meeting in Seattle. The Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award is given annually to the criminal defense attorney who best exemplifies the goals and values of the Association and the legal profession.

2024-25 Officers and Newly-Elected and Re-Elected Members of the NACDL Board of Directors Installed at Annual Meeting – Washington, DC (July 29, 2024) – NACDL installed newly-elected officers and directors at its Annual Board and Membership Meeting on July 27.

Nation’s Defense Bar Mourns Loss of Legal Titan Neal R. Sonnett – (Washington, DC, July 15, 2024) – Renowned criminal defense attorney Neal R. Sonnett, the founder of Neal R. Sonnett, P.A., of Miami, Florida, passed away on July 11, 2024. A towering figure in the legal world, Sonnett was celebrated for his unwavering dedication to justice and his exceptional legal acumen.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Applauds Passage of Federal Prison Oversight Act – Washington, DC (July 11, 2024) – Congress has passed the Federal Prison Oversight Act, a bill that bolsters inspections of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) by mandating risk-based evaluations of BOP facilities and establishes a Department of Justice (DOJ) Ombudsman to manage complaints and investigations and prohibits BOP retaliation against individuals who make complaints to the Ombudsman. The bill is awaiting the president’s signature.

Nation’s Defense Bar Applauds Biden’s Pardons of Veterans Unjustly Convicted Under Military Code Prohibiting Gay Sex – Washington, DC (June 26, 2024) – The nation’s criminal defense bar applauds President Joe Biden for his proclamation pardoning approximately 2,000 American veterans unjustly convicted under a discriminatory military code that criminalized homosexual behavior from 1951 to 2013.

Nation's Defense Bar Calls for Immediate Action to Combat Rampant Prosecutorial Misconduct in Florida – Washington, DC (June 17, 2024) – Prosecutorial misconduct plagues the criminal legal system, and defense attorneys play a crucial role in exposing it. As evidenced by numerous cases brought to light by the Florida defense bar, it is rampant in that state and corrective action is long overdue.

Nation’s Defense Bar Sues DOJ for Transparency on New Charging and Sentencing Policies Under FOIA – Washington, DC (June 6, 2024) – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) have filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking public records detailing the Department of Justice’s implementation of December 2022 memoranda establishing new policies for all federal prosecutors’ charging and sentencing practices. 

The Hon. Justice Geraldine Hines Receives the Judicial Recognition Award from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (May 28, 2024) – Retired Justice Geraldine S. Hines of the Massachusetts Supreme Court received the Judicial Recognition Award at NACDL’s Race Matters conference in Baltimore on May 23. NACDL presents its Judicial Recognition Award to acknowledge judges who demonstrate a continuing dedication to protecting democratic principles and the fundamental rights of individuals within American society.

Renowned Baltimore Attorney William ‘Billy’ Murphy, Jr. Honored by Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (May 28, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) honored William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr., a civil rights advocate, civil litigator, former judge, and criminal defense attorney who has fought for justice and reform in Baltimore for over 50 years. Judge Murphy was presented the Trailblazer for Justice Award at a reception in his honor hosted by NACDL’s Foundation for Criminal Justice (NFCJ).

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Presents Champion of Justice Award to South Texas College of Law Houston – Washington, DC (May 23, 2024) – South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) was awarded the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Champion of Justice Legal Award at the 2024 Race Matters Seminar in Baltimore.

Decriminalization of Marijuana and Clemency Urged for Non-Violent Cannabis Offenses: Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Calls on President Biden – Washington, DC (May 3, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is urging President Biden to decriminalize marijuana and to grant clemency to individuals incarcerated for marijuana offenses. In a letter to the White House Counsel on April 30, the nation’s criminal defense bar urged immediate commutation of sentences, compassionate release, and second chances for persons convicted of marijuana offenses.

National Criminal Defense Bar Partners With Community Groups to Offer Marylanders Free Advice on How to Clear Criminal Records – Washington, DC (March 15, 2024) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is partnering with Maryland organizations to offer free advice and resources on how to expunge, clear, or seal eligible criminal records. 

Criminal Defense Lawyer Travis Finck Elected to Board of Directors of Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar – Washington, DC (Feb. 20, 2024) – North Dakota criminal defense lawyer Travis Finck was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association’s Midwinter Board Meeting in Las Vegas. He joins those who are currently serving their terms on the NACDL Board of Directors.