Orleans Public Defenders

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Who We Are

NO to HB 586! Protect Public Defense in Louisiana

: Calls To Action; 26 April 2021

The Louisiana legislative session has begun and a newly-introduced bill looks to drastically change the entire landscape for public defense in Louisiana, threatening access to and the quality of legal representation for hundreds of thousands of Louisianans.

NO ON HB 586!

OPD Statement on Derek Chauvin Verdict

: News; 21 April 2021

As we heave a collective sigh of relief following the Derek Chauvin verdict, we must remember justice is more than one verdict in one trial. The criminal legal system is not where justice for George Floyd, justice for countless others, justice in this moment, begins or ends. It is simply a stop on a longer, more difficult, more painful journey.

The Lens: New policy says Orleans prosecutors should refuse all low-level drug charges except those for heroin and fentanyl

: News; 13 April 2021

“When it comes to health and community safety, treating drug possession cases outside of the criminal system is the right thing to do, and what New Orleans has asked for in the most recent election” - Danny Engelberg, OPD Chief of Trials

New policy says Orleans prosecutors should refuse all low-level drug charges except those for heroin and fentanyl

The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office says it is adopting a policy of refusing all charges for possession of small amounts of drugs — which they define as “an amount that is intended only for personal use” — with the exception of heroin and fentanyl.

That means that while the New Orleans Police Department may continue to arrest individuals for small amounts of drugs, the DA’s office’s policy is not to prosecute them. The office said they had informed the NOPD about the policy, but “wouldn’t be able to speak to any decisions about NOPD’s plans to arrest or not arrest for certain offenses.”

Read the full article from The Lens here.

‘The system is at a breaking point’: New DA, public defenders work to reduce backlog of cases at Criminal District Court

: News; 20 January 2021

Public defenders in Orleans Parish are hopeful that a new reform-minded district attorney, Jason Williams, will help them come up with innovative ways to address the thousands of open cases that are clogging the dockets at Criminal District Court due to months of COVID-19-related court closures and suspended jury trials — namely, by dismissing nonviolent, low-level cases, or sending defendants into a diversion program, which allows them to complete a court-ordered program in exchange for a later dismissal.

Read the full article at The Lens.

Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice, Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration

: News; 13 January 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2021

Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice; Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration

Public Defenders Urge Federal Government to Take Bold Steps to Reverse and Repair Damage of the Outgoing Administration

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the Public Defenders’ Coalition for Immigrant Justice, a nationwide coalition of public defender offices, released a 10-point plan for addressing the injustices of the criminal legal system and its pipeline to deportation. The plan urges the Biden administration and the new Democratic majority in Congress to act swiftly and decisively for immigration justice to undo the unjust, harmful, and destructive tactics of the outgoing administration.

Public defenders to stop in-person appearances at Municipal Court due to reported COVID-19 outbreak

: News; 30 November 2020

The Orleans Public Defenders will cease all in-person appearances at New Orleans Municipal and Traffic court due to what they are calling an “ongoing outbreak of COVID-19” at the court, and after one of their own attorneys who appeared there “almost daily” tested positive.

According to a Monday afternoon press release, the office was informed early last week — prior to the Thanksgiving holiday — that a court staff member had tested positive. Since then, one of their own attorneys also tested positive.

Read the full article at The Lens.