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Feature September 8, 2016
When Real Estate and Tax Lawyers Are Forced to Do a Public Defender’s Job
Louisiana judges are finding some unexpected substitutes for underfunded defenders.
By
Feature September 9, 2016
When There’s Only One Public Defender in Town
Meet Rhonda Covington, the one-woman office.
By
News January 28, 2016
Why Getting Sued Could Be the Best Thing to Happen to New Orleans’ Public Defenders
The ACLU takes the cash-poor agency to court to force the cash-poor legislature to pay.
By
A collage shows a black-and-white photo of a domed capitol building, snippets of text from reports about the indigent defense system in Mississippi and, on the right, a silhouette of a man in a suit holding a briefcase against a grayish-blue textured background.
Jackson June 12, 2025
From Budget Chaos to Public Defenders: Mississippi Poised to Fund ‘Day 1’ Experiment
Indigent felony defendants in many counties have lacked court-appointed lawyers before indictment, even while they sat in jails for weeks or months.
By
News May 2, 2016
Do Public Defenders Spend Less Time on Black Clients?
Some suspect “implicit bias” is not just a problem for police, prosecutors, and judges.
By
An illustration shows circles with portraits of seven judges and three question marks.
Jackson September 24, 2024
Mississippi Court Candidates Tell You Why They Should Be Elected
The Marshall Project - Jackson and Mississippi Today asked the candidates to explain why people should vote for them. Here’s who responded.
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FILE - In this Aug. 29, 1995, file photo, O.J. Simpson, second from left, is surrounded by his attorneys, clockwise from left, Ken Spaulding, back towards camera, Gerald Uelmen, Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran Jr., as they discuss their plans for arguing the admissibility of the tapes of retired Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman in Los Angeles. A lawyer for O.J. Simpson in Las Vegas says the imprisoned former football star isn...t happy with portrayals he...s seen in ads and interviews about a cable TV series focusing on his 1995 murder acquittal in Los Angeles. Simpson won...t be able to see the show, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” as Nevada prisons don...t carry the FX network, which debuts the 10-part show on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File)
Commentary February 11, 2016
“Look at O.J. ... If He Had a Public Defender, He’d be in Jail.”
Why African-Americans don’t trust the courts, and why it matters.
By Sara Sternberg Greene
A public defender returns to his office after helping defendants at the Rhode Island District Court in 2017.
Life Inside April 17, 2020
“How Do I Defend People Now?”
Public defenders rely on in-person, confidential meetings with clients. They say COVID-19 makes their jobs nearly impossible.
By Chrissy Madjar, Kenneth Hardin, Eric Quandt and Nathan Wade
Perry at her gun shop in Boise, Idaho
Feature September 24, 2017
How Conservatives Learned to Love Free Lawyers for the Poor
By reframing the issue around the evils of big government, Republicans are notching victories that have eluded more liberal legislatures.
By
A collage illustration shows photos of a meeting room full of people, a man in a suit, the exterior of a building that reads “Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center,” and a close-up image of people sitting, one taking notes. Excerpts of various documents are layered throughout the collage. One reads, “I am available, interested, and qualified to serve as assigned counsel in the following case type(s):” and another reads: “Optional delinquency qualification worksheets: The following sections are provided as a convenience to assist you in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications established in O.A.C. 120-1-10 for appointment to various levels of delinquency cases. You are not required to submit these sections with your application.”
Cleveland September 12, 2024
Not ‘Mini-Adult Court’: Lawyers Lacking Qualifications Defended 1,200 Cuyahoga County Kids
Juvenile Court judges will now track qualifications, but insist the state system creates barriers keeping experienced attorneys from defending kids.
By and
A diptych photo shows Judge Jennifer O'Malley, left, a White woman, and Judge Thomas F. O'Malley, right, a White man, in judge's robes and seated in a courtroom.
Cleveland March 22, 2024
For a Handful of Lawyers in Cuyahoga County, Juvenile Cases Are Big Business
Judges steered two-thirds of cases involving kids accused of crimes to just 10 lawyers in one year, according to a Marshall Project - Cleveland analysis.
By and
Jackson July 5, 2023
Mississippi Says Poor Defendants Must Always Have a Lawyer. Few Courts Are Ready to Deliver
A rule requiring poor criminal defendants to have a lawyer throughout the criminal process took effect Saturday.
By , Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
Illustration of a courtroom scene. Standing before a judge, with their backs to the viewer, are a man in a suit and a juvenile in an orange jumpsuit.
Cleveland January 11, 2024
How Cuyahoga County Picks Attorneys to Represent Children
Ohio sets rules for fairly appointing attorneys and the qualifications they must meet to be paid.
By and , The Marshall Project and Stephanie Casanova, Signal Cleveland
Commentary March 30, 2015
A Courtroom Divided
What a battle between a Mississippi judge and a group of public defenders tells us about the state of indigent defense.
By and
In the Bay Area, more than 300 people have been released from the Santa Rita Jail as coronavirus has spread. They included people nearing the end of their sentences, as well as older and medically vulnerable people.
Coronavirus March 21, 2020
Coronavirus Transforming Jails Across the Country
Some sheriffs, prosecutors and defenders scramble to move people from local jails, potential petri dishes for infection.
By , , and
An illustration shows circles with portraits of seven judges and the text: “Judicial Election Guide.”
Jackson November 7, 2024
Meet the People Running for Mississippi’s Supreme Court and Other Courts
We profiled candidates for two state Supreme Court seats and other courts, and asked each to tell you in their own words why they should be elected.
By
A person walks down the steps of a looming courthouse, while hundred dollar bills that are the same size and scale as the courthouse columns fly off to the right.
Feature February 12, 2024
If You Can’t Afford an Attorney, One Will Be Appointed. And You May Get a Huge Bill
In Iowa, people too poor to pay for a lawyer are on the hook for big fees they can’t afford.
By Lauren Gill and
Analysis June 16, 2016
Could Removing Brock Turner’s Judge Hurt Poor and Minority Defendants?
A group of public defenders says yes.
By
Eddy, who served two years probation for attempting to sell a few gram bags of marijuana, attended a free legal clinic that helps people get pot convictions reduced or dismissed.
News November 27, 2017
How Do You Clear a Pot Conviction From Your Record?
It depends on where you live. (Californians, you’re in luck.)
By Lee V. Gaines
A group of Supreme Court justices sitting at a raised bench while an attorney speaks at a podium.
News April 14, 2023
Some Are Jailed in Mississippi for Months Without a Lawyer. A Court Just Barred That.
The Mississippi Supreme Court moved to end the “dead zone” before indictment in a notoriously dysfunctional public defender system.
By and Taylor Vance
Kim Foxx, left, was a guest speaker at the Chatham Business Association on Chicago’s South Side in late 2017.
Southside October 29, 2018
The Hustle of Kim Foxx
After the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, can a new state’s attorney bring real reform to Chicago?
By Steve Bogira
Illustration of a colorful paper airplane flying in the sky with a faint cornflower blue city skyline in the background.
Jackson Newsletter March 5
A New Voting Rights Battle
Lawmakers brace for a U.S. Supreme Court case that could affect voting rights for Black Mississippians in particular.
By The Marshall Project - Jackson
News October 26, 2015
So Many Defendants, So Little Time
Inside Utah’s troubled indigent defense system.
By
A person in a pink cardigan and green shirt stands in front of a large cashier's machine, while a long receipt spools out and surrounds the person.
News February 13
Iowa’s Top Court Ended Court Fees in Dismissed Cases. Politicians Want Them Back
The state can no longer saddle defendants with court fees when charges are dismissed. Prosecutors are backing legislation to restore them.
By Lauren Gill
The Caddo Parish Courthouse in Shreveport, La.
News November 28, 2017
Where the Poor Face the Death Penalty Without a Lawyer
A budget crunch in Louisiana leads to an unusual wait list.
By
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