During his 15-year tenure, Norman Reimer led NACDL into new frontiers and modernized NACDL. It is an organization that positively impacts the lives of people accused of crimes.

Defense lawyers and their clients will face challenges as courts begin to reopen after the coronavirus pandemic.

to Act

Communities of color face increased scrutiny from law enforcement in a climate that (falsely) presumes that they are more likely than whites to commit crimes.

to the Criminal Justice System

The media is under attack. Criminal defense lawyers should speak out in support of journalists in their fight to protect their rights under the First Amendment.

Hip-Hop, Expression, and the Criminal Justice System

Prosecutors sometimes use hip-hop lyrics and imagery as factual evidence in cases. Defense lawyers should actively discourage attempts by prosecutors to unfairly weaponize this art form.

Years ago, there was a chief judge who did not like presiding over bond reconsideration motions. All the men and women who were presumed innocent yet unable to post bond suffered under this chief judge.

Although businesses and individuals were sharing information and data with third-party vendors long before the COVID-19 outbreak, use of remote work tools is sure to endure long after the outbreak passes, making privacy concerns even more important.

Courts are developing protocols for how to safely resume jury trials after the coronavirus pandemic. The defense community cannot allow expedient solutions to backlogged dockets to subvert the Constitution by sanctioning proceedings that fall short of constitutional and statutory protections.

Congress amended 18 U.S.C. § 3582 to permit prisoners to file their own motions for compassionate release.

Law enforcement officers have renewed their demand that Congress alter the law to allow states to jam phone signals of contraband cellphones in prisons.

Incarcerated individuals are entitled to a basic standard of care, but stories of subhuman conditions still abound in the media. Defense attorneys perhaps can obtain additional doctor visits or proper medication. The fundamental abuses, however, are harder to combat.

Public sentiment continues to turn in favor of abolishing the death penalty. The death penalty remains a national embarrassment. It is racist, classist, and anachronistic.

Even though it was challenging in several ways, 2020 was a surprisingly strong year for NACDL.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, NACDL has nimbly shifted its operations so that it could continue uninterrupted to provide first-rate member services and zealously work for a better criminal law system.

Holistic defense recognizes that the impact of a defendant’s case can extend beyond one practice area. This defense model assembles teams of lawyers by integrating practice areas and encouraging collaboration: a criminal defense lawyer sits next to a family law attorney and across from an immigration attorney.