Renewed War on Drugs, harsher charging policies, stepped-up criminalization of immigrants — in the current climate, joining the NACDL is more important than ever. Members of NACDL help to support the only national organization working at all levels of government to ensure that the voice of the defense bar is heard.
Take a stand for a fair, rational, and humane criminal legal system
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NACDL is committed to enhancing the capacity of the criminal defense bar to safeguard fundamental constitutional rights.
NACDL harnesses the unique perspectives of NACDL members to advocate for policy and practice improvements in the criminal legal system.
NACDL envisions a society where all individuals receive fair, rational, and humane treatment within the criminal legal system.
NACDL’s mission is to serve as a leader, alongside diverse coalitions, in identifying and reforming flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, and redressing systemic racism, and ensuring that its members and others in the criminal defense bar are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level.
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Almost any drug offense - including marijuana possession - can lead to deportation. A drug offense can prevent an undocumented immigrant from getting status or result in deportation for a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. for decades. This webinar will help defense counsel meet their duty under Padilla by providing an overview of the immigration consequences of drug offenses and offer strategies to avoid or minimize those consequences.
Domestic violence and related offenses including child abuse, neglect, and abandonment and violation of a protective order can carry immigration consequences for both undocumented persons and persons with lawful immigration status. This webinar covers the immigration consequences that domestic violence and related offenses have upon different immigrants and discuss how to avoid or minimize such consequences. The webinar also covers a related topic—the immigration consequences of violent offenses, including in non-DV cases.
The U.S. Supreme Court held in Padilla v. Kentucky that criminal defense attorneys have a Sixth Amendment duty to advise clients about immigration consequences of their criminal cases, and that failure to do so is ineffective assistance of counsel. With record numbers of immigrants being deported for relatively minor criminal offenses, it is imperative that anyone representing noncitizens understand basic concepts regarding the interplay between immigration and criminal law and be aware of emerging issues.
NACDL joins bar associations, legal services providers, policymakers, and judges in calling for an immediate and complete halt to the implementation of Directive Number 11072.1.
Second Circuit Decision to Vacate and Remand Based on Sentence Higher than Guidelines for Illegal Reentry into the United States.
President Barbara Bergman's letter to House members regarding the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437).
Amicus curiae brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the National Association of Federal Defenders, the Immigrant Defense Project, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild in support of Petitioner.
