Public Defenseless Podcast
@PDefenselessPod
Dedicated to highlighting America's Public Defender and Criminal Legal Systems. New Episodes every Tues/Thurs wherever you listen to podcasts!
Welcome to the Public Defenseless Podcast w/Hunter Parnell. Join me each week as we speak with Public Defenders and criminal justice reformers to uncover how our legal system works, where it is failing, and how together we can fix it!
Trump admin can’t even make the minimal effort the courts require to avoid illegal profiling. Homan says the quiet part out loud msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-…
The framers would undoubtedly be appalled by Homan’s approach and dismayed to see self-proclaimed “originalists” embrace such flagrantly unconstitutional conduct in their name. msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-…
"Most cases dismissed because of the work stoppage by lawyers were misdemeanors. Should prosecutors reopen them?" bostonglobe.com/2025/07/25/met…
Pres. Trump's executive order says it is about connecting unhoused people with treatment. Sounds good, right? Well, the reality of it is, no surprise, much worse. 🧵 axios.com/2025/07/25/civ…
Today, I spoke w Amanda Bass Castro Alves about Tremane Wood. In 2004, Wood was convicted of felony murder and given a death sentence. But his brother, who admitted to doing the killing, got a life sentence. Amanda explains how terrible lawyering sent Tremane to death row.
Breaking: Workers at the Legal Aid Society who are members of @alaa2325 have reached a tentative agreement for a contract, likely averting a strike a @UAW official tells me. @LASattysunited members will vote on the TA next week per a statement from @Foxsquire.
NJ public defender’s office sues over ‘secret’ state police DNA database @DanaDiFilippo @NJMonitor buff.ly/ynyeb0Y
Today, I spoke w/@ericancook about the wrongful conviction of Jerry Mark. At Mark's trial in 1976, the state used mountains of "evidence" that courts now consider to be invalid, and evidence tells us he most likely wasn't even in Iowa when the crime was committed.
Here are someone uncomfortable truths about DOJ: 1) DOJ lawyers LIE in court EVERYDAY 2) Most federal criminal law is unconstitutional and vastly exceeds the federal government's enumerated powers.
Statement from @DAGToddBlanche: This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead. The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was…
The reason why gang databases are insufficient evidence of gang membership is because of how flawed, arbitrary, and unchecked they are, and we have known this for more than a decade. There were 42 BABIES on California's gang database back in 2016. buzzfeednews.com/article/salvad…
I want to focus on one particularly brazen provision in Maria Salazar's amnesty bill. She made a huge point of saying "gang members won't be admissible!" And, indeed, there is a provision that says if you "voluntarily participated in offenses committed by a criminal street gang"…
Today, I spoke with Professor Megan Walsh and Anthony Benz to discuss the gun violence prevention clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School. By pursuing civil litigation against unlawful sellers, they hope to prevent gun violence without increasing criminal prosecutions
☎️ Calling all #publicdefenders! The Federal Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee is #hiring a Capital Trial Project Director of Operations. Applicants don't need to live in TN, and the salary is capped at $195.1k per year. Learn more below!
Curious whether anyone could tell me more about this statutory restriction on plea bargaining in Kentucky. The conventional wisdom is that the parties will always evade plea bargaining prohibitions. I'm curious whether that has been the experience in KY with this limited carveout
A question journalists should ask more: “How do you know that?” Try it with cops, prosecutors, politicians or any “expert” who gives their take. Hold them accountable for their point of view.
“We are overworked, we are underpaid, we are overlooked, and still we are committed. This work fills our hearts with joy, but we are drowning." @alaa2325 | @UAWRegion9A ow.ly/jZLf50Wqzvq
This is Alejandro Gomez, a sheriff’s deputy in Grant County, New Mexico. He’s holding a baby rabbit—a few moments after he threatened a colleague with a taser, and a few moments before killing the animal by throwing it against a patrol vehicle. His supervisors stood by and…
Today, I spoke with Iowa Clinical Law Professor Megan Graham. At her clinic, Megan works with Public Defender offices to identify and challenge a wide array of new technologies police and prosecutors are using in the criminal legal system.
One person died in federal prison after being kept in restraints for more than 2 days. Another was held in restraints so tight that part of a limb had to be amputated. A 3rd person was confined in restraints for 30 days, then again for 29 days. npr.org/2025/07/14/nx-…
Legal services workers with @alaa2325 in @UAWRegion9A rallied in NYC to demand the funding, staffing, and support necessary to continue fighting for justice for low-income New Yorkers. Leaders, including @ZohranKMamdani, NY AG @TishJames, and @ClaireForQueens joined in support.