The Hug I Didn’t Deserve

I can’t breathe, ……….. Ma’am, …….. Seriously, …….. I can’t breathe.  MB’s mother quickly released her hold on me and we started to laugh at the situation.  A laughter that washed away the tears streaming down her cheeks.  MB’s mother somewhat embarrassed, apologized.  None […]

Yes, It Can Happen

I never thought that in real life the police framed people for crimes that they didn’t do.  I have practiced public defense law for 38 years.  I represented lots of men charged with murder.  I think of myself as being pretty experienced after […]

Public Defenders Key to Reducing Mass Incarceration

Reprinted with permission from the author from TalkPoverty.org The well-known introduction to Law & Order—the longest running legal series in TV history—is indicative of the criminal justice narrative that dominates American thinking: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by […]

The judge was not having any of it

The other day, in court, I watched a defender try to get her client out on what she called compassionate release. The client, a young woman, was accused of violating a probation condition and for this reason, was facing a […]

Up to the Task

This article was first published in the King County Bar Association’s October 2015 Bar Bulletin. Lorinda Youngcourt stepped into the complex world of capital defense as a freshly minted attorney. Her first job out of law school was in the […]

“Gideon is not a promise, it is a constitutional right.”

“Gideon is not a promise, it is a constitutional right.”  Stephen Bright, President and Senior Counsel Southern Center for Human Rights The Marshall Project is asking President Obama questions about criminal justice reform this week.  I have a question for the […]

Most Amazing Kind of Payment

JLJ and I rose as the jury walked into the courtroom to announce their verdict.  I stood staring down, trying to avoid making eye contact with the jury.  JLJ looked around the courtroom, becoming nervous as he saw the large number of […]

Public Defenders Lead Struggle for Juvenile Justice

The courtroom battle to save  young people from a life of imprisonment has for years been fought almost exclusively by public defenders. On Tuesday, a public defender will again battle on behalf of juveniles handed down mandatory life sentences, arguing before […]

Jami’s Ordeal Shows Public Defenders Deserve Respect

It was the video seen ‘round the world — a public defender, tiny in stature but huge in conviction, standing up for her client while surrounded by bullies with badges. The Jan. 27, 2015 exchange between San Francisco Public Defender Jami Tillotson […]

Support Public Defenders – Transform the Culture of Injustice

Republished with permission of the author. In October 2015 VICE Magazine published Mending Our Ways, an examination of solutions to America’s criminal justice crisis.  Jonathan Rapping contributed the following piece on the importance of supporting a movement of public defenders.  Due […]