Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter is joined by Erica Nichols Cook, an Iowa State Public Defender and Director of the Iowa State Public Defense Wrongful Conviction Unit. On today's episode, we are discussing the case of Mr. Bill Beeman, a client of Erica's. In this case you will hear about a shoddy investigation, Brady violations, ineffective assistance of counsel, and the destruction of evidence that would exonerate Mr. Beeman. Guests: Erica Nichols Cook, Director Wrongful Conviction Unit, Iowa Public Defender Resources: Drake Law School Wrongful Conviction Clinic https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/clinic/wrongfulconvictionsclinic/ Contact Erica enicholscook@spd.state.ia.us West Virginia Law Review Article Young Blood https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6199&context=wvlr Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home

Today, Hunter is joined by Kathrina "Kasia" Szymborski Wolfkot from the Brennan Center for Justice. On today's episode, Hunter and Kasia explore a rare area for hope on the show: State Courts. While much of the focus of teaching and discussion about our legal system starts and ends with the Supreme Court, state courts offer a path to meaningful, major changes to our criminal and constitutional legal systems. Guests: Kathrina (Kasia) Szymborski Wolfkot, Senior Counsel, Brenan Center for Justice, Managing Editor of the State Court Report Resources: Commonweatth v Mattis https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ma-supreme-judicial-court/115703895.html New Yorker on State Supreme Courts https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/10/can-state-supreme-courts-preserve-or-expand-rights State Court Report https://statecourtreport.org/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home

Today, Hunter is joined by the Sixth Amendment Center's Deputy Director Aditi Goel. This time, Hunter and Aditi the Sixth Amendment Center's newest report on the state of Public Defense on the island of Guam. Relative to Public Defense systems in the continental United States, Guam's Public Defender system is in its infancy, but the problems are familiar. Lack of independence, lack of lawyers, and an Attorney General who thinks better Public Defense=more crime all create a system that is in desperate need of help. Fortunately, the Public Defender Community on the island are deeply committed to getting Guam's Public Defender system to where it needs to be. Guests: Aditi Goel, Deputy Director, Sixth Amendment Center Resources: Sixth Amendment Center Report on Guam https://6ac.org/guam-report-finds-undue-judicial-influence-over-indigent-defense/ Guam AG comments https://www.postguam.com/news/local/excellent-way-to-promote-crime-ag-opposes-public-defender-raises/article_c7900544-a83a-11ed-85d5-e35c64218b11.html Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home

Today, Hunter is joined by professor Samantha Simon, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona. This episode is a deep dive into Professor Simon's book, Before the Badge: How the Academy Training Shapes Police Violence. In it, Professor Simon embed herself into various police academy training programs to try and understand how police academies select, train, and prepare the next generation of police officers. Through her work, we gain an excellent insight into the challenges with changing the culture of violence that is so prevalent in American policing. Guests: Samantha Simon PhD, Professor of Sociology, University of Arizona Resources: Professor Simon's Faculty Page https://sociology.arizona.edu/person/samantha-simon Pick up a Copy of Before the Badge https://nyupress.org/9781479813278/before-the-badge/ Coverage of SrA Roger Fortson https://weartv.com/news/local/okaloosa-county-community-rallies-for-justice-at-town-hall-after-sra-fortsons-shooting https://weartv.com/news/local/hurlburt-field-airman-identified-as-man-shot-dead-in-officer-involved-shooting# https://weartv.com/news/local/okaloosa-county-sheriffs-office-fires-deputy-involved-in-fatal-air-force-airman-shooting# Donate to SrA Roger Fortson's GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-roger-fortsons-family?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwY2xjawEozoVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcJZA1zzyqnX9Gj0dRPFSA-dHsXjCSwYo7rgUtqYxhV5ht-z5vqGwvKqUg_aem_vERgrg-mtU7gJj4lZ281cw Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home

Today, Hunter is joined by Jim Billings, the Executive Director of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services. At the very start of the show, Hunter spoke with then Executive Director of the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, Justin Andrus, to discuss the problems facing Maine Public Defense. As a reminder, Maine was the only state that relied 100% on contract lawyers and no full time public defense offices. Since then, the crisis has only worsened. There are hundreds of people currently without counsel, and while the long term outlook looks promising, the short to medium term outlook face serious problems. Guests: Jim Billings, Executive Director, Maine Commission on Public Defense Services Resources: Maine Unrepresented Crisis https://www.aclumaine.org/en/mainesgrowingcrisis Man released after bail lowered due to lack of Public Defenders https://www.necn.com/news/local/shortage-of-public-defenders-in-maine-allowed-release-of-man-who-caused-fiery-standoff/3261950/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN

Today, Hunter is joined by University of Utah law Professor, Matthew Tokson, to discuss his most recent law review article The Reality of the Good Faith Exception. For those unfamiliar with it, the good faith exception is a way that the courts have side stepped unconstitutional actions by police and prosecutors. Specifically, if a cop executes a search, but it later turns out that it was based on an illegal warrant, that will not matter so long as the officer acted in good faith. How can we so easily excuse violations of the Constitution and what does it mean for our right to privacy? The answers to those questions and more are found on this episode! Guests: Matthew Tokson, Professor of Law, University of Utah Resources: US v Leon https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/468/897/ The Reality of the Good Faith Exception Article https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4414248 Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN

Today, Hunter spoke once again with Radley Balko, a long-time investigative journalist, to discus his most recent reporting on public defense in Florida and Georgia. As has been discussed on the show previously, both states are struggling to meet the promises of Gideon. For Florida, the state has continued to move in a "tough on crime" direction and seems fine with leaving public defense ill equipped to handle the cases. In Georgia, the lack of independence leaves the system unable to properly advocate for its needs and the needs of their clients. Guests: Radley Balko, Investigative Journalist Resources: Read Radley's Coverage Here https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-states-of-indigent-defense-part-6eb Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN *As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*

Today, Hunter spoke with the Chief Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas to discuss independence, or the lack thereof, for federal public defenders. Unlike many state systems, the federal system is at the mercy of the federal judiciary. As a result of this judicial oversight, the federal public defenders can be hesitant to be as vocal and aggressive in their public advocacy. Over the past year, the hiring freeze for federal public defense demonstrated the pressing need to remove the federal public defenders out from the control of the bench. Guests: Melody Brannon, Chief Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas Resources: Annual Federal Defenders Reports https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/defender-services-annual-report-2022 https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/defender-services-annual-report-2023 NACDL Coverage on Lack of Independence https://www.nacdl.org/Article/August2015-InsideNACDLAFundamentalFlawint 2017 REPORT OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2017_report_of_the_ad_hoc_committee_to_review_the_criminal_justice_act-revised_2811.9.17.29_0.pdf NACDL Testimony to Judicial Conference https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/84b11595-12a0-43d9-89ed-6af4fd732d84/gerry-morris-testimony.pdf Hiring Freeze https://rollcall.com/2023/10/13/federal-public-defenders-warn-proposed-funding-would-cause-layoffs-court-delays/ Eval of Interim Recommendations from the Cardone Report https://cjastudy.fd.org/sites/default/files/Evaluation-of-the-Interim-Recommendations-from-the-Cardone-Report_9.7.23_NoID.pdf Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN *As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*

Today, Hunter spoke once again w/Bob Kolstad and for the first time Veronica Surges. Both are public defenders in the state of Minnesota, and they joined the show to discuss how the organized a strike authorization and how that threat of a strike helped them secure the largest pay raises in the history of Minnesota Public Defense. Guests: Bob Kolstad, Public Defender, Hennepin County, Minnesota Veronica Surges, Public Defender, 6th District, Minnesota Resources: Contact Bob bob@robertkolstad.com Read About the Strike Threat and It's Results https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/07/11/minnesota-public-defenders-to-get-as-much-as-66000-raises-under-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=The%20salary%20of%20a%20first,state%20Board%20of%20Public%20Defense. Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN *As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*

Today, Hunter kicks off a week about Public Defense in Minnesota by speaking with the Chief Public Defender of the State, Bill Ward. Throughout this episode, Bill and Hunter discuss workloads, workload refusal, the recent budgetary victories he's helped secure, and what is needed to ensure Public Defenders in Minnesota are not drowning in cases. Guests: Bill Ward, Chief Public Defender, Minnesota Resources: Minnesota Public Defender Website https://www.pubdef.state.mn.us/ Minnesota Public Defender Twitter https://x.com/mnbdpubdefense Bill Ward Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-ward-a0aa4024/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pubdef.state.mn.us%2F Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN *As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*