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NPR All Things Considered: Hurricane Katrina was a catalyst for change in New Orleans' public defender office
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Hurricane Katrina was a catalyst for change in New Orleans' public defender office
All Things Considered, By Ari Shapiro
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 20 years ago this month, Meghan Garvey was fresh out of law school.
She was not even certified to work as a lawyer yet, but she wound up helping a team find thousands of incarcerated people who were lost in the prison system after the storm.
"There were people being moved around to different sorts of jails and prisons around the state. They kept moving people here and there," Garvey recalled recently. "It was really hard to figure out where people were, what they were in jail for, what was going on."
OPD, SULC and BPDA Announce Diamonique Whaley Attorney Fellowship
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Southern University Law Center, Orleans Public Defenders, and the Black Public Defender Association Announce Inaugural Diamonique Whaley Attorney Fellowship to Honor Alumna’s Legacy and Champion Public Defense in New Orleans
Baton Rouge, LA — Southern University Law Center (SULC), in partnership with the Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) and the Black Public Defender Association (BPDA), proudly announces the launch of the Diamonique Whaley Attorney Fellowship. This yearlong fellowship with the Orleans Public Defenders provides recent Southern Law graduates with a unique and impactful opportunity to launch their careers in public defense and community advocacy.
The fellowship is named in memory of Diamonique Whaley, a graduate of Southern University Law Center, and dedicated Staff Attorney with OPD in New Orleans. Throughout her legal career, Whaley zealously represented people navigating the legal system, but her passion was working with kids in both the juvenile and adult legal systems. Whaley was deeply committed to advocating for her clients and fighting against the injustices of the criminal legal system and harms of system interaction.
NPR All Things Considered: New Orleans' court system collapsed under Katrina, but some saw hope for change
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New Orleans' court system collapsed under Katrina, but some saw hope for change
All Things Considered, By Ari Shapiro
With New Orleans under water, people incarcerated there were bused out to detention facilities across the South. Their records didn't go with them, massively complicating their legal cases.
SHAPIRO: In a functioning criminal justice system, public defenders should have been representing most of these thousands of people. Legal defense is a constitutional right. But nothing about the New Orleans criminal justice system was working the way it was supposed to.
Radley Balko: The Redeem Team
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Collectively, they spent 155 years in prison. Now they counsel other people facing their own long sentences. A conversation with five peer advocates at the New Orleans public defender's office.
By Radley Balko
March 15, 2025 - Of the five men who serve as “peer advocates” for the Orleans Parish Public Defender, only one — Robert Jones — is an exonoree. He was released in 2016 after the BBC uncovered evidence of his innocence. He had been convicted of a rape and robbery spree in the French Quarter that culminated in the killing of a British tourist. Jones now serves as director of community outreach for the office.
Another of the five, Terry Pierce, says he was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed a man in 1980. The other three — Michael Banford, Everett Offray, and Louis Gibson — do not claim that they were innocent.
OPD Statement on the Death Penalty and Execution of Jessie Hoffman
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As public defenders, we know each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Everyone is capable of redemption and transformation. This includes Jessie Hoffman. The planned execution of Mr. Hoffman by nitrogen gas is cruel, inhumane, and unconstitutional. It also disregards the dignity, worth, and capacity for change and redemption in all of us - particularly Mr. Hoffman.
OPD offices closed due to dangerous winter weather in New Orleans and surrounding areas
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OPD offices remain closed Tuesday through Friday, January 21 - 24 due to the unprecedented winter weather in New Orleans. We anticipate being open again to the public on Monday, January 27 as snow and ice have subsided.
Attorneys and staff can be reached via direct emails. Specific staff information can also be found on the staff page.
Confidential emails can also be sent via the contact form.
While Orleans Parish courthouses are closed, please see the Criminal District Court website for updates as to proceedings, directives, and court openings.
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Indefensible: The Story of New Orleans' Public Defenders
More than 80% of defendants in New Orleans can’t afford a lawyer ...
When the Public Defender Says, ‘I Can’t Help’
“Your Honor, we do not have a lawyer for this person at this time.”
