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.

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. 

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.

NACDL Applauds Call to End Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity in Federal Courts  – Washington, DC (Dec. 16, 2022) – On December 16, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo instructing federal prosecutors to stop the practice of sentencing crack cocaine and powder cocaine distribution differently, ending the practice of disproportionately punishing crack cocaine offenses, with a disparate impact on Black communities.

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Remembers Past President Jim Shellow – Washington, DC (Nov. 3, 2022) – Milwaukee, Wis., attorney and Past President (1975-76) of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) James Myers Shellow ("Jim"), passed away on October 29, 2022, just before his 96th birthday.