NAPD Welcomes Renee Brodsky as New Assistant Training Director

NAPD is pleased to welcome Renee Brodsky, Esq., as its Assistant Training Director. This new role will support the Training Director in expanding NAPD’s high-quality, cost-effective training programs. “Training is at the heart of what we do at NAPD,” says […]

Remarks on Gideon Day 2024 by Lori James-Townes

Lori James-Townes, NAPD Executive Director, delivered the following remarks at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender’s Gideon Day celebration in Annapolis on March 18, 2024. Good evening, distinguished guests, members of the Maryland State Gideon Day Celebration, and esteemed […]

NM host to groundbreaking public defense conference

This week the National Association for Public Defense  (NAPD) is hosting the largest-ever convening of non-attorney public defense professionals this week in Albuquerque – a move that highlights both New Mexico’s leading role in the public defense community and a national […]

Celebrating the Transgender Day of Visibility: An Open Letter From the NAPD Team

As members of the National Association for Public Defense team, we celebrate the Transgender Day of Visibility. Each year the world marks March 31st as a time to lift up transgender people, amplify their voices and honor them for their […]

We are so thankful for you.

To our clients and colleagues: We are so thankful for you. Your stories inspire us. Your struggles fuel us. Your contributions are what make our community so vibrant. For your victories, large and small, that have brought that much more […]

On Our Radar: October 12, 2022

Note: The views and opinions expressed in the items listed do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of NAPD.   We are back with NAPD's On Our Radar blog series, where we let you know about new projects, new publications, and other […]

NAPD Honors Indigenous Peoples Day

NAPD honors Indigenous Peoples Day, recognizing the challenges and trauma that Indigenous communities have faced for centuries, and the fortitude, strength, and brilliance they contribute to this world. As Public Defenders, we invite you to join a growing movement of […]

On Our Radar: September 1, 2022

Welcome to NAPD's On Our Radar blog series, where we let you know about new projects, new publications, and other interesting tidbits that may be relevant to your interests and your work in public defense. At least once per month, […]

Ramirez v. Collier: Condemned persons entitled to pastor to pray with them and touch them during execution

People sentenced to death are likely entitled to have a pastor pray with them and lay hands on them during their execution, under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled March 24 in Ramirez […]

U.S. v. Zubaydah and FBI v. Fazaga: State secrets privilege prevents disclosure of national security information

The Supreme Court upheld use of the “state secrets privilege” to allow the Government to prevent disclosure of information it claimed would harm national security, in a pair of cases decided in early March.   In U.S. v. Zubaydah, decided March […]