Public Defenseless Podcast
@pdefenselesspod.bsky.social
Podcast covering issues in Public Defense, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and what we can do to improve our criminal legal system
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Police Against the Movement yet, what are you waiting for? Essential for anyone who studies civil rights, political movements, surveillance, or policing.
November 17, 2025 at 8:26 PM
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Police Against the Movement yet, what are you waiting for? Essential for anyone who studies civil rights, political movements, surveillance, or policing.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Federal CJA defense attys haven’t gotten paid since July, now some are facing eviction as they continue to defend poor people for free
Prosecutors want judges to force attorneys to work unpaid, but defense lawyers say thats unconstitutional and “deeply insulting”
Reports @latimes.com
@nacdl.org
Prosecutors want judges to force attorneys to work unpaid, but defense lawyers say thats unconstitutional and “deeply insulting”
Reports @latimes.com
@nacdl.org
Federal defense lawyers 'face financial ruin' after months without pay, memo says
Last month, federal prosecutors told the court that judges could appoint defense attorneys to work without pay. In a memo this week, defense attorneys said months of nonpayment have "already taken a d...
www.latimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Federal CJA defense attys haven’t gotten paid since July, now some are facing eviction as they continue to defend poor people for free
Prosecutors want judges to force attorneys to work unpaid, but defense lawyers say thats unconstitutional and “deeply insulting”
Reports @latimes.com
@nacdl.org
Prosecutors want judges to force attorneys to work unpaid, but defense lawyers say thats unconstitutional and “deeply insulting”
Reports @latimes.com
@nacdl.org
Today, I spoke w/Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull about their book The Jailhouse Lawyer. We discussed Calvin's wrongful conviction, his nearly 3 decades of incarceration, and how Calvin helped countless people fight for their freedom as a jailhouse lawyer.
open.spotify.com/episode/7pA5...
open.spotify.com/episode/7pA5...
November 14, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Today, I spoke w/Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull about their book The Jailhouse Lawyer. We discussed Calvin's wrongful conviction, his nearly 3 decades of incarceration, and how Calvin helped countless people fight for their freedom as a jailhouse lawyer.
open.spotify.com/episode/7pA5...
open.spotify.com/episode/7pA5...
Washington. New Mexico. San Francisco. Los Angeles. Maine. Oregon. Massachusetts.
Just a few of the places where the legal system is breaking because public/private defenders have stopped taking new cases because of their unethical workloads.
A national crisis that few are paying attention to.
Just a few of the places where the legal system is breaking because public/private defenders have stopped taking new cases because of their unethical workloads.
A national crisis that few are paying attention to.
November 13, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Washington. New Mexico. San Francisco. Los Angeles. Maine. Oregon. Massachusetts.
Just a few of the places where the legal system is breaking because public/private defenders have stopped taking new cases because of their unethical workloads.
A national crisis that few are paying attention to.
Just a few of the places where the legal system is breaking because public/private defenders have stopped taking new cases because of their unethical workloads.
A national crisis that few are paying attention to.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
NEW: DHS secretly obtained Chicago police data on 900 residents accused of gang ties. It was quietly deleted after intelligence officers violated rules against domestic spying.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
DHS Kept Chicago Police Records for Months in Violation of Domestic Espionage Rules
The Department of Homeland Security collected data on Chicago residents accused of gang ties to test if police files could feed an FBI watchlist. Months passed before anyone noticed it wasn’t deleted.
www.wired.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
NEW: DHS secretly obtained Chicago police data on 900 residents accused of gang ties. It was quietly deleted after intelligence officers violated rules against domestic spying.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
How accurate is "absolutely certain" US intel about drug smuggling? Pretty bad. A US-led program killed a young missionary and her daughter in Peru after mistaking their plane for drug smugglers in 2001. Trump’s Venezuela boat strikes have made their deaths newly and urgently relevant.
Episode Six: Airborne Imperialism
A U.S.-led program killed Veronica and Charity Bowers in Peru after mistaking their plane for drug smugglers. Trump’s Venezuela boat strikes make their deaths newly and urgently relevant.
theintercept.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:43 PM
How accurate is "absolutely certain" US intel about drug smuggling? Pretty bad. A US-led program killed a young missionary and her daughter in Peru after mistaking their plane for drug smugglers in 2001. Trump’s Venezuela boat strikes have made their deaths newly and urgently relevant.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
NEW: Today is a big day for us at Bolts! From today thru end of 2025, NewsMatch matches any gift you make.
In a nutshell: Your gift will be doubled. If you start a monthly subscription, your monthly amount is matched *x12*!
If you wish to support independent journalism, you can help us thrive:
In a nutshell: Your gift will be doubled. If you start a monthly subscription, your monthly amount is matched *x12*!
If you wish to support independent journalism, you can help us thrive:
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
boltsmag.org
November 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM
NEW: Today is a big day for us at Bolts! From today thru end of 2025, NewsMatch matches any gift you make.
In a nutshell: Your gift will be doubled. If you start a monthly subscription, your monthly amount is matched *x12*!
If you wish to support independent journalism, you can help us thrive:
In a nutshell: Your gift will be doubled. If you start a monthly subscription, your monthly amount is matched *x12*!
If you wish to support independent journalism, you can help us thrive:
Today, I spoke w/Eric Seiferth and Nick Weldon of the New Orleans Historic Collection. We discussed the historical exhibit, The Captive State, that they curated that traces Louisiana's modern mass incarceration back to the state's slave holding colonial roots
open.spotify.com/episode/5UCu...
open.spotify.com/episode/5UCu...
November 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Today, I spoke w/Eric Seiferth and Nick Weldon of the New Orleans Historic Collection. We discussed the historical exhibit, The Captive State, that they curated that traces Louisiana's modern mass incarceration back to the state's slave holding colonial roots
open.spotify.com/episode/5UCu...
open.spotify.com/episode/5UCu...
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
New data shows that the CCRB retroactively doctored public data for more than 10,000 misconduct allegations against NYPD officers.
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
The NYPD’s Watchdog Whitewashed More Than 10,000 Misconduct Allegations in Public Data, New Evidence Shows
Allegations of lying, sexual misconduct, bigoted statements, and racist policing were among those quietly reclassified by the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
hellgatenyc.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
New data shows that the CCRB retroactively doctored public data for more than 10,000 misconduct allegations against NYPD officers.
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
DHS is deploying a powerful surveillance data sharing program at college football games
www.404media.co/dhs-is-deplo...
www.404media.co/dhs-is-deplo...
DHS Is Deploying a Powerful Surveillance Tool at College Football Games
Public records show DHS is deploying the "Homeland Security Information Network" at college protests and football games.
www.404media.co
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
DHS is deploying a powerful surveillance data sharing program at college football games
www.404media.co/dhs-is-deplo...
www.404media.co/dhs-is-deplo...
For two years, Jurinsky led the charge to abolish the public defender office in Aurora.
Today, the Public Defender Office is still there, and she is on her way out.
Today, the Public Defender Office is still there, and she is on her way out.
NEW: Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has conceded. A stunning defeat for a MAGA media fixture who built a national profile on claims of a "complete gang takeover" of Aurora that led President Trump to visit and falsely proclaim the city "conquered" by an immigrant gang
November 6, 2025 at 1:40 AM
For two years, Jurinsky led the charge to abolish the public defender office in Aurora.
Today, the Public Defender Office is still there, and she is on her way out.
Today, the Public Defender Office is still there, and she is on her way out.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
A traffic ticket should never cost someone their livelihood.
On the latest @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social episode, FFJC’s Co-ED Joanna Weiss reflects on our work to end New Mexico's debt-based license suspensions — and shares how we’ve taken this model nationwide.
🎧 tinyurl.com/2x5zhy5d
On the latest @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social episode, FFJC’s Co-ED Joanna Weiss reflects on our work to end New Mexico's debt-based license suspensions — and shares how we’ve taken this model nationwide.
🎧 tinyurl.com/2x5zhy5d
November 5, 2025 at 8:06 PM
A traffic ticket should never cost someone their livelihood.
On the latest @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social episode, FFJC’s Co-ED Joanna Weiss reflects on our work to end New Mexico's debt-based license suspensions — and shares how we’ve taken this model nationwide.
🎧 tinyurl.com/2x5zhy5d
On the latest @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social episode, FFJC’s Co-ED Joanna Weiss reflects on our work to end New Mexico's debt-based license suspensions — and shares how we’ve taken this model nationwide.
🎧 tinyurl.com/2x5zhy5d
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
In the new episode of Collateral Damage, we look at the death of Trevon Cole, an unarmed man shot by Las Vegas police during a 2010 pot raid.
Cole's pregnant fiancee witnessed his death. We got a nice surprise when the daughter she was carrying, now 14, unexpectedly joined us during an interview.
Cole's pregnant fiancee witnessed his death. We got a nice surprise when the daughter she was carrying, now 14, unexpectedly joined us during an interview.
Episode Five: What Fourth Amendment?
How the killing of Trevon Cole by Las Vegas police almost made prime-time TV.
theintercept.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:31 PM
In the new episode of Collateral Damage, we look at the death of Trevon Cole, an unarmed man shot by Las Vegas police during a 2010 pot raid.
Cole's pregnant fiancee witnessed his death. We got a nice surprise when the daughter she was carrying, now 14, unexpectedly joined us during an interview.
Cole's pregnant fiancee witnessed his death. We got a nice surprise when the daughter she was carrying, now 14, unexpectedly joined us during an interview.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Folks, my team at @boltsmag.org is bringing you all the results all night... but they're not at 100K followers yet.
Let's get it there! If you've been enjoying our election coverage, press that follow button!
Let's get it there! If you've been enjoying our election coverage, press that follow button!
November 5, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Folks, my team at @boltsmag.org is bringing you all the results all night... but they're not at 100K followers yet.
Let's get it there! If you've been enjoying our election coverage, press that follow button!
Let's get it there! If you've been enjoying our election coverage, press that follow button!
Today, I spoke w/ @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social Co-founder and Co-Executive Director Joanna Weiss. We discussed the impact of unpaid court fines and fees that automatically strip people of their driver's license and the campaign to end these fees in New Mexico.
open.spotify.com/episode/5KzT...
open.spotify.com/episode/5KzT...
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Today, I spoke w/ @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social Co-founder and Co-Executive Director Joanna Weiss. We discussed the impact of unpaid court fines and fees that automatically strip people of their driver's license and the campaign to end these fees in New Mexico.
open.spotify.com/episode/5KzT...
open.spotify.com/episode/5KzT...
Today, I spoke w/David Bennett. Over a 40 plus years, David helped craft pre-trial service programs that helped reduce jail populations, identify people who need services, connect people with those services, and showed community can be safee without more incarceration.
spotify.link/Vf7HJ0OXTXb
spotify.link/Vf7HJ0OXTXb
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Today, I spoke w/David Bennett. Over a 40 plus years, David helped craft pre-trial service programs that helped reduce jail populations, identify people who need services, connect people with those services, and showed community can be safee without more incarceration.
spotify.link/Vf7HJ0OXTXb
spotify.link/Vf7HJ0OXTXb
Today, I spoke w/Professor Emily Salisbury to discuss the various tools, practices, and programs she developed to help incarcerated women get the support they need to address the underlying causes of their incarceration.
spotify.link/UvdclazDQXb
spotify.link/UvdclazDQXb
October 29, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Today, I spoke w/Professor Emily Salisbury to discuss the various tools, practices, and programs she developed to help incarcerated women get the support they need to address the underlying causes of their incarceration.
spotify.link/UvdclazDQXb
spotify.link/UvdclazDQXb
If you are a Public Defender or Criminal Defense Lawyer in Virginia, please register and participate in @justicefwdva.bsky.social workshop about future criminal legal reforms!
bit.ly/VaDefenderCall
bit.ly/VaDefenderCall
October 28, 2025 at 7:51 PM
If you are a Public Defender or Criminal Defense Lawyer in Virginia, please register and participate in @justicefwdva.bsky.social workshop about future criminal legal reforms!
bit.ly/VaDefenderCall
bit.ly/VaDefenderCall
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Police from a town of 900 in Colorado accused a woman of theft. Based on their Flock cameras they told her, "you can’t get a breath of fresh air, in or out of that place, without us knowing, correct?" and reportedly told her the exact number of times her license plate had driven through that town.
Police used Flock cameras to accuse a Denver woman of package theft. She had her own evidence
"Like I said, nothing gets in or out of the town without us knowing."
denverite.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Police from a town of 900 in Colorado accused a woman of theft. Based on their Flock cameras they told her, "you can’t get a breath of fresh air, in or out of that place, without us knowing, correct?" and reportedly told her the exact number of times her license plate had driven through that town.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
New from me:
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Accusing Jordan Silverman
A D.C. teaching assistant was accused of molesting up to 15 kids. Multiple law enforcement agencies cleared him. But his nightmare was just beginning.
radleybalko.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:55 PM
New from me:
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
The construction of prisons in rural areas can create relationships in which residents ultimately become engulfed by incarceration. “The prison almost begins to imprison the community in a way,” says a prison researcher.
The Prison Next Door
How Arkansas’ secretive plan for a new state lockup angered people in a deep red corner of rural America—and changed how some see incarceration.
boltsmag.org
October 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The construction of prisons in rural areas can create relationships in which residents ultimately become engulfed by incarceration. “The prison almost begins to imprison the community in a way,” says a prison researcher.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Add Massachusetts to the list of states that has protections to keep out-of-state law enforcement from getting access to in-state surveillance data---but Flock Safety has still made that data available to police around the country. Well done, @jaystanley.bsky.social.
Flock Can Share Driver-Surveillance Data Even When Police Departments Opt Out, And Other Flock Developments | ACLU
The company’s default agreement with police departments grants the company license to share people’s license plate data
www.aclu.org
October 24, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Add Massachusetts to the list of states that has protections to keep out-of-state law enforcement from getting access to in-state surveillance data---but Flock Safety has still made that data available to police around the country. Well done, @jaystanley.bsky.social.
Today, I spoke once again with Natasha Dartigue, Maryland's Chief Public Defender. This time, we discussed a range of new criminal law policies in the state and how they will respond to a study showing the need 600 more attorneys to meet workload demands.
spotify.link/EeqA41NhIXb
spotify.link/EeqA41NhIXb
October 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Today, I spoke once again with Natasha Dartigue, Maryland's Chief Public Defender. This time, we discussed a range of new criminal law policies in the state and how they will respond to a study showing the need 600 more attorneys to meet workload demands.
spotify.link/EeqA41NhIXb
spotify.link/EeqA41NhIXb
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Our Santa Fe office of the New Mexico Office of the Public Defender has a rare opening. If you are interested happy to field questions
It's one of the few statewide PD systems in the country with abt 280 attorneys covering 33 counties & 13 judicial districts
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lopd...
It's one of the few statewide PD systems in the country with abt 280 attorneys covering 33 counties & 13 judicial districts
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lopd...
October 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Our Santa Fe office of the New Mexico Office of the Public Defender has a rare opening. If you are interested happy to field questions
It's one of the few statewide PD systems in the country with abt 280 attorneys covering 33 counties & 13 judicial districts
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lopd...
It's one of the few statewide PD systems in the country with abt 280 attorneys covering 33 counties & 13 judicial districts
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lopd...
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Anthony Boyd was sent to death row for murder with no physical evidence, during a trial in which Boyd’s court-appointed lawyer admitted he was unprepared. He is set to be executed today.
He Was Convicted Entirely On Clashing Eyewitness Testimony. Alabama Plans to Execute Him Next Week.
No physical evidence connected Anthony Boyd to a 1993 murder. He was sent to death row on the word of a co-defendant who testified under the threat of capital punishment.
boltsmag.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Anthony Boyd was sent to death row for murder with no physical evidence, during a trial in which Boyd’s court-appointed lawyer admitted he was unprepared. He is set to be executed today.