Search About Newsletters Donate
An illustration shows an outline of a lawyer raising their arm up while holding a document. The lawyer stands in front of a judge, who is also holding a gavel. People in orange prison uniforms stand in the foreground.
Feature September 18
Mississippi Courts Won’t Say How They Provide Lawyers for Poor Clients
Six years ago, the Mississippi Supreme Court told judges around the state to file plans showing how they meet their obligations to poor defendants. So far, only one has.
By Caleb Bedillion, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
A Black man, wearing a KN95 mask, red shirt, red cap and camo pants, reviews a document while sitting in a courtroom.
Closing Argument July 15
For Many, a Lawyer Is a Luxury Out of Reach
Sixty years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, the promise of legal representation for everyone is largely unrealized.
By Jamiles Lartey
News July 5
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 Caleb Bedillion, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
A group of Supreme Court justices sitting at a raised bench while an attorney speaks at a podium.
News April 14
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 Caleb Bedillion and Taylor Vance
Feature May 22, 2021
Life Without Parole Is Replacing the Death Penalty — But the Legal Defense System Hasn’t Kept Up
Just ask a Dallas woman who spent a year in jail without talking to a lawyer.
By Cary Aspinwall
Feature August 20, 2020
Two Families, Two Fates: When the Misdiagnosis Is Child Abuse
The power of child-abuse pediatric specialists and parents’ unequal journey toward justice
By Stephanie Clifford
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
News July 18, 2019
Your Arrest Was Dismissed. But It’s Still In A Police Database.
In New York City, officers are illegally using information from arrests that have been sealed, according to a lawsuit. The practice is legal in more than two dozen states.
By Eli Hager
Life Inside July 11, 2019
I’m 31. I’m a Lawyer. And I’m Still Getting Stopped by the Police.
“Despite everything I have accomplished, this is still happening to me.”
By David Ourlicht as told to Margo Snipe
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 Eli Hager
About
People
Jobs
Sitemap
Funders