Orleans Public Defenders

There's still time to join us for this important discussion! Today at NOON. Register here: tinyurl.com/nlada-gideon

**Upcoming Virtual Press Briefing** (The public is also welcome!)

"The State of Public Defense During a Crime-Focused Election Year"

On Gideon Day, public defense chiefs from across the U.S. will hold a virtual press briefing to commemorate the establishment of an accused person’s right to counsel and to challenge misleading narratives about crime.

**WHAT:**
Public Defender chiefs from across the United States will gather for a virtual press briefing, co-sponsored by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, to discuss misleading narratives about crime, the effect of those narratives on criminal justice reform policies, and to propose tangible solutions for furthering community safety. The virtual event will be held on Gideon Day, Monday, March 18, the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which recognizes the Constitutional right to public defense for people who cannot afford counsel. The press briefing features a panel of leading public defender chiefs as well as a community equal justice advocate who will explore the critical role of public defense in advancing community safety and advocating for equal access to legal representation for all.

**WHEN:**
Monday, March 18 at 1-2 p.m. Eastern / Noon-1 p.m. Central / 10-11 a.m. Pacific
Please register here and a Zoom link will be sent to you. You can also register at tinyurl.com/nlada-gideon.

**WHO:**
Panelists include:

--April Frazier Camara, president and CEO, National Legal Aid & Defender Association (Introductory remarks)
--U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas (recorded remarks)
--Alec Karakatsanis, founder, Civil Rights Corps (moderator)
--Robert Jones, director of community outreach and lead organizer, Orleans Public Defenders
--Stan Germán, executive director, New York County Defender Services
--Keisha Hudson, chief defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia
--Mano Raju, elected chief defender, San Francisco Public Defender's Office
--Brendon Woods, chief defender, Alameda County Public Defenders

**ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:**
This press briefing is sponsored by the NLADA, the American Council of Chief Defenders, the Black Public Defender Association, the Gault Center, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Defender Association of Philadelphia, Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, Orleans Public Defender’s Office, and New York County Defender Services. This event is part of NLADA’s ongoing initiative, “Fighting for the AccUSed: The Public Defender Campaign for Safe, Secure Communities.” The Fighting for the AccUSed campaign is changing perceptions about public defenders in communities and the press. It also seeks to build public support for the passage of the federal EQUAL Defense Act (HR 3758) and the Quality Defense Act (S.850), and urges the Biden Administration to support other federal, state, and local efforts to fund public defense.

Public defenders are integral parts of the communities they serve and include social workers, investigators, community engagement professionals, and lawyers. Nationwide, about 80 percent of individuals who are accused of crimes in the legal system are represented by a public defender.

The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local levels, playing a leadership role in the creation of public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation. A leader in the development of national standards for civil legal aid and public defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training, and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.

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We are proud to once again be a host site for the Black Public Defender Association Summer Community Engagement Fellowship.

The12-week program focuses on community engagement projects, offering participants a firsthand experience in the world of Public Defense, along with a $4,000 stipend.

Interested HBCU students should submit their applications by Friday, February 2, 2024 at 11:59pm ET.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/24HBCUCEF?inf_contact_key=825646aeb249bd0d9ab95b88f9728790

Due to inclement weather and freezing conditions, OPD and Orleans Parish courts will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday Jan 16.

Stay tuned to ready.nola.gov for city updates and www.criminalcourt.org for court updates.

Due to forecasted severe weather, OPD offices will close at noon today. Criminal District Court will close at 11am. Stay safe New Orleans.

Today is !

We would be so grateful for your support as we work to support our most vulnerable clients. Your tax-deductible donation will go directly to our Client Welfare Fund, which directly aids clients and their immediate needs so they can navigate the criminal legal system from a place of safety and dignity.

The criminal legal system is punitive, harmful, and disruptive for all it touches. It takes a village, and we remain committed to fighting for the health, well-being, safety and success of our clients and community.

The Client Welfare Fund has filled the gap, and in many cases, been the difference between a client remaining in jail and starting much-needed treatment. It has helped clients secure necessary uniforms for work and school, obtain birth certificates and reinstate driver’s license to gain employment, even prescription eye glasses. It has allowed us to purchase necessary hygiene and food for clients who remain incarcerated while their cases progress. It has provided transportation and bus passes for court-mandated treatment programming, warm clothing for clients just released from jail, vital documents like IDs and birth certificates necessary for employment and services, temporary phone service so clients can remain connected with service providers, family and defense teams.

Your tax-deductible donation toward the Client Welfare Fund helps make a healthier, stronger community a reality.

Client Welfare Fund Each day, we fight for dignity, justice and hope for our clients, both in the courtroom and out. We fight for their right to be safe and well, and their humanity recognized. OPD's Client Welfare Fund directly supports clients and their immediate needs so they can navigate the criminal legal system f...

Orleans Parish: don’t miss this opportunity to expunge ma*****na convictions!

Please join JAC and partners Louisiana Progress New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice Helena Moreno State Representative-Delisha Boyd at the "First Offense Simple Possession of Ma*****na" expungement clinic on October 28th. This clinic's focus is Orleans Parish charges. Attendees must bring their expungement packet from the Orleans Parish Criminal District Clerk of Court OR case management and court minutes from the Municipal Court. *****na #420

Congrats to former OPD attorney and career public defender Leon Roche on his election to Criminal District Court!

The more public defenders as jurists, the equitable and just the court systems across the country will be.

Leon Roché II wins race for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Leon Roché II won a seat on the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court bench, beating out his opponent, Melanie Talia, with 66% of the vote.

Congrats to everyone who passed the Louisiana bar today! What will you do to make your community more just and equitable?

To those that didn’t pass, kept at it. Your worth is not defined by an outdated and discriminatory test.

We’re with Innocence Project New Orleans The Promise of Justice Initiative VOTE Free-Dem Foundations, Inc. ACLU of Louisiana for Wrongful Conviction Day!

HUGE CONGRATS to the scholars of Travis Hill NOLA!! It is so inspiring to work with and support these brilliant minds who truly understand and are leading the conversation about the mental health of New Orleans youth.

Incarcerated students win award for mental health solution The students said their unique perspectives helped them look at mental health in a new light.

Our hearts are with Mayor LaToya Cantrell and their family during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Each summer our amazing law clerks and interns fundraise for our Client Welfare Fund that supports our most vulnerable and incarcerated clients.

We'd be so grateful for your support as well!

Replenish OPD's Client Welfare Fund!, organized by OPD Law Clerks One jumpsuit, one bedsheet, one toothbrush, and one tube of toothpaste: these are… OPD Law Clerks needs your support for Replenish OPD's Client Welfare Fund!

As we celebrate Juneteenth today, we must also reflect on how racial oppression continues to touch so many today. We need only look at our criminal legal system where racism and oppression are baked into our laws and processes. ⁣
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The daily injustices in courthouses across thee country are great and the over-criminalization of Black people stark.⁣
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We remain committed to the freedom of all New Orleanians, and an end to oppression, discrimination and harm of our Black community members.⁣
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No one is free until we’re all free.

We remain outraged and exhausted.

So honored and proud to fight alongside Robert Jones every day!

We're thrilled and grateful to launch Equal Justice Night with Velveteen Lounge & Restaurant tomorrow, Thursday, January 26!

The first Thursday of each month, Velveteen will donate a percentage of the entire day's food and drink sales to our Client Welfare Fund! The more sales, the greater the donation!

Our client welfare fund supports our most vulnerable clients as they navigate the criminal legal system from a place of dignity and safety. For more information, visit opdla.org/client-welfare-fund

Today's the day, ! Will you help us raise $10,000 to support our clients as they navigate the justice system and rebuild their lives? All donations go directly to our Client Welfare Fund.

https://www.opdla.org/client-welfare-fund

is tomorrow, but you don't have to wait to donate and support our Client Welfare Fund.

Every dollar goes to directly support a client in need.
https://www.opdla.org/client-welfare-fund

Kids don't belong in Angola. Period.

Governor John Bel Edwards is planning to move kids to Angola - Louisiana’s largest maximum security prison known for its human rights abuses. Tell Governor Edwards: Invest in Louisiana’s kids, not in punishment.

Take action: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-kids-in-angola

Join us, and other Louisiana advocates for youth for our No Kids In Angola Car Caravan and to call on Governor John Bel Edwards to halt plans to move kids to Angola. https://fb.me/e/2CbM6bOPf

Our statement on the intersection of children, the criminal legal system, rehabilitative approaches, and the Mayor's recent support of one child in Juvenile Court.

Our statement on today’s acquittal of District Attorney Jason Williams.

We're hiring!

Join us in our fight for dignity, justice and hope for all New Orleanians. Click through for more information on the available positions and application deadlines.

www.opdla.org/job-opportunities

We’re honored to be chosen as a host site for the Black Public Defender Association Community Engagement fellowship and be in such excellent company with Alameda County Public Defenders Nashville Defenders and Legal Aid NYC. We're even more thrilled to introduce our fellow Kassidy Teague!

Kassidy is a recent graduate of Grambling State University and lifelong Louisianan, from Shreveport, but New Orleans born. She will focus on policy advocacy and furthering our reconnection and engagement with the community hindered by the pandemic.

We’re happy to have you Kassidy!

Learn more about the fellowship and all the fellows here: http://blackdefender.org/2022-community-engagement-fellows/