Public Defenseless

• 390 | Debating the Problems and Promises of the Public Defender National Workload Study Part 1 w/John Gross

  Today, Hunter hosted a debate between Professor John Gross and Professor Bob Boruchowitz about the Public Defender National Workload Standards. Back in the spring of this year, John penned an article about some of the methodological and pragmatic issues with the National Workload study. Meanwhile, Bob has been working in Washington for decades to bring meaningful, enforceable workload standards across the state. Today, Hunter spoke with both of them to hear each side of this debate and to try and figure out the best way to use the national workload standards.   Guest: John Gross, Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin School of Law Bob Boruchowitz, Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law   Resources: John’s Article https://publicdefenders.us/blogs/the-problems-with-the-national-public-defense-workload-study/ John’s Faculty Page https://law.wisc.edu/profiles/john.gross Bob’s Writings https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-works-toward-easing-public-defender-shortage-but-more-must-be-done/ https://law.seattleu.edu/media/school-of-law/documents/faculty/publications/boruchowitz/2025_01_RevisedStandards.pdf Other Responses to John’s Article https://publicdefenders.us/blogs/the-problem-with-ignoringthe-national-public-defenseworkload-study/   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 389 | How Cook County Public Defenders are Preparing for Trump Deploying the National Guard to Chicago w/Sharone Mitchell Jr. and Sharlyn Grace

  Today, Hunter was joined once again by Sharone Mitchell Jr. and Sharlyn Grace of the Cook County Public Defender Office. As we have already seen in Los Angeles and D.C., President Trump is threatening to deploy the national guard to Chicago to combat “crime.” Today, Sharone and Sharlyn joined the show to discuss what is actually happening on the ground in Chicago, what the city needs to continue improving public safety, and what Trump’s threats are actually about.   Guest: Sharone Mitchell Jr., Chief Public Defender, Cook County, Chicago, Illinois Sharlyn Grace, Deputy Public Defender for Policy, Cook County, Chicago, Illinois   Resources: Liberals and Centrists Biting Off on the Crime Issue https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bowser-trump-police-takeover-lower-dc-crime-national-guard-ice-rcna227582 Reports on Cash Bail https://loyolaccj.org/pretrial-fairness-act https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/bail-reform-and-public-safety https://reason.org/wp-content/uploads/the-effects-of-cash-bail-on-crime-and-court-appearances.pdf Crime in Chicago https://counciloncj.org/crime-trends-in-u-s-cities-mid-year-2025-update/ https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/vrd/home/violence-victimization.html     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 388 | How Public Defenders Can Make it Easier to Win More Courtroom Arguments w/Eve Primus

  Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Eve Primus. This time, Eve joined the show to discuss her newest law review article “Burdens of Proof in Criminal Procedure.” At first glance, this might seem like a boring, technical legal topic, but the burden of proof is often the only thing that matters in a criminal trial. As Eve points out, the entire case can hinge on who has to prove what and when they have to prove it.   Guest: Eve Primus, Professor of Law, University of Michigan School of Law   Resources: Read Eve’s Work https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5136879Amanda’s Faculty Page Contact Eve https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/eve-brensike-primus   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 387 | The Junk "Science" Cops Use to Stop, Frisk, and Search People w/Amanda Savage

  Today, Hunter was joined by Professor Amanda Savage to discuss her latest law review article “The Pseudoscience of Gun Hunting”.  In the article, Amanda explains the cop created “Characteristics of an Armed Person” training that cops undergo to identify who may or may not have a weapon. As with many cop created “sciences,” CAP is the perfect tool for police to use if they want to stop, search, and frisk someone for any reason or no reason at all.   Guest: Amanda Savage, Professor of Law, Denver University School of Law   Resources: Read Amanda’s Work https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5148151 Amanda’s Faculty Page https://www.law.du.edu/about/people/amanda-savage   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 386 | Why Have the Private Defense Lawyers who Take 40% of Federal Public Defense Cases Stopped Getting Paid? w/Renae Alt-Summers and Mekka Jeffers-Nelson

  Today, Hunter was Renae Alt-Summers and Mekka Jeffers-Nelson to discuss the payment stoppage for Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorneys. Just like state public defender systems, the federal public defender system relies on private defense counsel to take conflict cases and serve as the primary way to deliver public defender services. Yet as of the start of July, those CJA panel attorneys have had payments stopped, and those payments aren’t set to come back online until at least October. So, what will happen to the federal public defender system now and in the future?   Guest: Renae Alt-Summers, CJA Panel Rep, Federal District of South Carolina Mekka Jeffers-Nelson, CJA Panel Rep, Federal District of Western North Carolina   Resources: Contact Renae and Mekka [email protected] [email protected] Read More About the Freeze https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2025/07/15/funding-crisis-leaves-defense-lawyers-working-without-pay https://www.cbsnews.com/news/defense-lawyers-needy-clients-congressional-funds-dry-up/ https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal-defender-program-will-run-out-of-funds-to-pay-panel-attorneys-court-officials-warn https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/defense-lawyers-face-months-without-pay-as-federal-funds-dry-up https://www.wacdl.org/blog_home.asp?Display=14 https://www.fd.org/news/funding-crisis-leaves-defense-lawyers-working-without-pay     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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