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Archive May 2023

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How a Vicious Union Busting Campaign Could Cripple Louisville Public Defense w/Cat Vining and Morgan King

In last week’s show, Hunter spoke with Babatunde Aremu and demonstrated the ways in which a Public Defender Office could be unionized without causing strife between leadership and line public defenders. Unfortunately today’s episode demonstrates the worst possible scenario for a unionization effort. Hunter sat down with Cat Vining and Morgan King, line public defenders in the Louisville Metro Public Defender Office, to discuss why they unionized and the incredible efforts that leadership took to make sure the union would be crushed. 

 

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50 Shades of Grey Goes to Court: How to Present BDSM and Non-Monogamy in Court w/Jill Weinberg

Today, Hunter spoke with Jill Weinberg, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tufts University, to discuss the difficulties and strategies of discussing BDSM and other alternative sexual practices in the court room. For many, 50 Shades of Grey is the only exposure to alternative sexual practices so how should lawyers prepare juries, judges, and even themselves for when their case revolves around one of these topics? From the complexities of consent in BDSM relationships to navigating polyamorous relationships, today’s episode is all about the ways attorneys need to confront the biases people hold about alternative sexual practices.

 

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The Bronx Defenders' Transformation from Scabs to Unionization w/Babatunde Aremu

When most in the Public Defender world think about the Bronx Defenders, they think of an office at the forefront of imagining a new path forward for Public Defense.

 

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Representing Youths is Just as Important as Representing Adults, and It's Time Public Defense Acted Like it w/Mary Ann Scali and HyeJi Kim

Today, Hunter sat down with Mary Ann Scali (Executive Director, Gault Center) and HyeJi (Senior Youth Defense Counsel, Gault Center), to discuss the legacy of the Supreme Court Case in re Gault and how it impacts youth representation today. Much like the episode with Justine Olderman and Wes Caines on the legacy of Gideon, today’s episode is a reflection on America’s history of neglecting the rights of children, 

 

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When Student Loan Payments Get Turned Back on, What Will Happen to Public Defense? w/Jane Fox and Kyle Morris

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jane Fox (Legal Aid Society New York) and Kyle Morris (Nashville Public Defender Office) to discuss all things student debt forgiveness. 

 

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Overworking Public Defenders.

Most U.S. criminal defendants are represented by government-employed public defenders (PDs). PDs consistently face higher caseloads than recommended by professional guidelines, but systematic evidence of the impacts of excessive workloads on defendants is lacking. This paper uses novel case-level data from three U.S. counties and an instrumental variable approach to study the causal impacts of high caseloads on PD time allocations and defendant outcomes.

 

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How the King County Public Defender Union is Becoming a Player in Washington Politics w/Elbert Aull

Today, Hunter spoke with Elbert Aull, a Public Defender from King County Washington and chairman of the Public Defender Union’s Political Action Committee to discuss the vital role the union played in bringing attention to the horrid conditions of jails in King County. As with many of our unionization episodes, this episode highlights the type of political and media engagement that are not normally available to Public Defenders, whether they be non-unionized or contract. Most importantly, Elbert’s work on the Political Action Committee demonstrates the potential for Public Defenders to become trusted members of the labor force and how they can leverage that trust to shape criminal legal discourse across a politically diverse state like Washington.

 

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The Promise and Problems of Progressive Prosecution w/Keisha Hudson, Mano Raju and Ricardo Garcia

Across the country, a movement of so called progressive prosecutors has become a focal point of political commentary around the criminal legal system. 

 

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Is There a Better Way to Provide Public Defense w/James McDermott and Paul Chambers

Today, Hunter spoke with James McDermott and Paul Chambers, two Public Defenders from the Far West Texas Office, to discuss their vision for a better model for Public Defense Delivery. 

 

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NM host to groundbreaking public defense conference

“This conference highlights a national effort to find alternative systems for incarceration that actually solve our community problems. This can’t just happen in court. It’s a team effort. Public defense agencies across the country and in New Mexico are recognizing this,” said KC Quirk, social work director for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender.

 

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