Letter to the Orleans District Attorney

Letter relating to the prosecution of a public defense investigator. “Circumstances in Orleans Parish require us to speak out against your decision to use the full force of the criminal justice system to target an investigator at the OPD for […]

NAPD Partners with ABA to Launch Task Force for Public Defense Independence

From the ABA’s announcement: WASHINGTON, March 26, 2024 – The American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section and Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense (SCLAID), in partnership with the National Association for Public Defense, today announced the creation of the Task Force for Public Defense Independence. […]

NAPD Policy Statement on Independence (May 2020)

“NAPD calls upon its members and the legal profession to confront a threat to judicial independence wherever and whenever it manifests itself. Whenever genuine threats to judicial independence arise, whether in the form of an online petition to remove a […]

Position Paper on Qualifications of those Selecting Public Defense Leadership

“The responsibility of selecting quality leadership in a jurisdiction that does not elect its public defender should fall on a board or commission in order to guarantee the independence of the public defense function. NAPD believes that those responsible for […]