National Criminal Defense Bar Partners with Community Groups to Offer Marylanders Free Advice on How to Clear Criminal Records – Washington, DC (March 10, 2023) – 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.

Statement from Public Defense Advocates Calling for Commitment to the Right to Counsel in Guam and Across All US States and Territories – Washington, DC (March 8, 2023) – We are on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright – a reminder that a government that seeks to arrest, prosecute, and jail its citizens has a constitutional imperative to provide a defense counterpart to bring balance to the system and prevent miscarriages of justice.

Judge J. Thomas Marten Receives the  Judicial Recognition Award  from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar –  Washington, DC (March 6, 2023) – Retired Federal District Court Judge J. Thomas Marten of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas received the Judicial Recognition Award at NACDL’s board meeting in New Orleans on March 4, 2023. 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.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Presents  Champion of Justice Award to Milwaukee, WI Attorney Deja Vishny – Washington, DC (March 6, 2023) – Deja Vishny was awarded the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Champion of Justice Award during NACDL’s Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans on March 4. Champion of Justice Awards are bestowed upon those individuals who – through legislative, journalistic, philanthropic, or humanitarian pursuits – have staunchly preserved or defended the constitutional rights of American citizens and have endeavored to ensure justice and...

Baton Rouge, LA Attorney James Boren Presented with NACDL’s Champion of Justice Award –Washington, DC (March 2, 2023) – NACDL presented criminal defense legend James “Jim” Boren with the Champion of Justice Award at the Association’s 2023 Midwinter Meeting. Champion of Justice Awards are bestowed upon those individuals who – through legislative, journalistic, philanthropic, or humanitarian pursuits – have staunchly preserved or defended the constitutional rights of American citizens and have endeavored to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime.

Nation’s Defense Bar and LACDL Commemorate Billy Sothern at ‘Justice and Jazz’ Reception in New Orleans – New Orleans, LA (March 2, 2023) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), joined by the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (LACDL), posthumously honored Billy Sothern during “Justice and Jazz in the Quarter,” a charitable fundraiser at the historic Toulouse Theatre in New Orleans’ French Quarter on March 2, 2023. 

New Plea Bargain Task Force Report Highlights the Trial Penalty, Calls for Transparency – Washington, DC (Feb. 22, 2023) – NACDL applauds the release of a new report from the Plea Bargaining Task Force, a group convened by the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association.* The task force closely examines the role of plea bargaining in our criminal legal system and provides policy recommendations and goals for changes in the way plea bargaining operates.

On the 50 Year Anniversary of the Mass Incarceration Era, NACDL calls for Reflection and Reform – Washington, DC (Feb. 8, 2023) – In 2023, NACDL and advocates across the country are commemorating 50 years of America’s unjust, discriminatory, and ineffective policy of mass incarceration. Over five million people are under supervision by the criminal legal system. Nearly two million people, disproportionately Black, are living in jails and prisons  instead of their communities, a 500% increase since 1973.

Statement from the Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar on the Killing of Tyre Nichols – Washington DC (Jan. 28, 2023) – In the wake of the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols at the hand of the Memphis police, NACDL leaders issued the following statements.

"Slavery by Another Name": Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Decries Louisiana’s Prisons, Which Force Individuals to Work at Hard Labor Past Their Release Dates – Washington, DC (Jan. 27, 2023) – The Justice Department recently released a blistering report on its investigation into the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDOC) and their practice of violating the due process rights of incarcerated individuals sentenced to hard labor by overdetaining them for months beyond their scheduled release dates.