NACDL News Releases

New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Publish Groundbreaking Report on Trial Penalty in New York — Washington, DC (March 26, 2021) — Today, the New York State Asso

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Applauds Abolition of the Death Penalty in Virginia -- Washington, DC (March 24, 2021) – Today, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the 23rd state, in addition to the District of Columbia, to abolish or overt

Last Prisoner Project and Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Establish Cannabis Justice Initiative — Washington, DC (March 23, 2021) — The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Last Prisoner Project (LPP)

NACDL Statement of Support for Myanmar Attorneys and the Rule of Law -- Washington, DC (Mar. 16, 2021) – Attorneys in Myanmar are reported to be under attack. Yesterday, the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) Human Rights Committee issued

New Jersey’s and Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Call on Gov. Murphy to Sign S3456, Repealing Mandatory Minimums for Certain Offenses -- Washington, DC (Mar. 11, 2021) – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) President Ch

NACDL’s Corrections Committee Launches Online Resource Tracking the State of Prison and Jail Communications Systems -- Committee also releases manual on navigating the federal prison system. --Washington, DC (March 8, 2021) – Today, the N

White House Commutes Sentences of Individuals Punished for Exercising Their Sixth Amendment Right to Trial – Washington, DC (Jan. 20, 2021) – In the early morning hours today, President Trump granted commutations to 14 deserving individuals wh

Federal Compassionate Release Clearinghouse Celebrates Milestones and Continues Recruiting Volunteer Attorneys – Washington, DC (Dec. 22, 2020) – As of today, the Federal Compassionate Release Clearinghouse, a collaborative pro bono

District of Columbia Compassionate Release Project Frees Over a Dozen and Continues Important Work – Washington, DC (Dec. 22, 2020) – The District of Columbia Compassionate Release Project is a coalition of advocates including NACDL, the

New Report Calls on Federal Bureau of Prisons to Stop Monitoring Confidential Legal Emails –Washington, DC (Dec. 11, 2020) – Today, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Samuelson Law, Technology &

Washington, DC (Dec. 10, 2020) – Today, NACDL released its model "Second Look" sentencing legislation and accompanying report -- Second Look = Second Chance: The NACDL Model "Second Look" Legislation. 

NACDL Trial Penalty Clemency Project Adds to Previous Petitions Awaiting Action by the White House – Washington, DC (Dec. 4, 2020) – This week, NACDL’s Trial Penalty Clemency Project submitted five more fede

Prosecutor, Criminal Defense Lawyer, and Public Health Law Organizations Call for Criminal Legal and Detention Systems as COVID-19 Vaccination Priority – Washington, DC (Dec. 3, 2020) – Today, the National Association of Criminal Def

NACDL Trial Penalty Clemency Project Submits Second Set of Petitions to White House -- Washington, DC (Nov. 20, 2020) – As of this week, NACDL’s Trial Penalty Clemency Project submitted four more federal clemency petitions to the Office of the

Pennsylvania Attorney Theodore "Ted" Simon Receives Prestigious 2020 Heeney Award from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar -- Washington, DC (Oct. 26, 2020) – On Saturday, October 24, Attorney Theodore "Ted" Simon of Ph

NACDL Trial Penalty Clemency Project Submits First Set of Petitions to White House -- Washington, DC (Oct. 13, 2020) – On October 2, 2020, NACDL’s Trial Penalty Clemency Project submitted its first set of federal clemency petitions to the Offi

Washington, DC (Sept. 23, 2020) – In the midst of a critically important national conversation about systemic racism, social justice, and police accountability, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) today announces the launch

Bryan Stevenson Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nation's Criminal Defense Bar — Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), was awarded the National Association of Criminal Defense Law

Washington, DC (Aug. 18, 2020) – On August 18, 2020, Phil Cherner, Board Chair of Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, was presented with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ (NACDL) Champion of Sta

Charleston, SC, Lawyer Christopher W. Adams Sworn In as President of Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar -- Washington, DC (Aug. 17, 2020) -- Christopher W. Adams of Charleston, SC, was sworn in as President of the National Association of Criminal De

2020-21 Officers and Newly-Elected and Re-Elected Members of the NACDL Board of Directors Sworn in at Annual Meeting -- Washington, DC (Aug. 17, 2020) - NACDL installed newly-elected officers and directors at its Annual Board and Membership Meeting o

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Welcomes New Title IX Regulations, Calls the Restoration of Due Process on Campus ‘Essential’ -- Washington, DC (Aug. 12, 2020) – New regulations released in May relating to the implementation of

Washington, DC (Aug. 6, 2020) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL), the ACLU of Virginia, Justice Forward Virginia, and the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC), toda

Washington, DC (July 28, 2020) –  Last night, Senate Republicans unveiled new coronavirus legislation that  fails to include the critical measures needed to address the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in federal and state correctional facilities.

Washington, DC (July 24, 2020) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) released a critically-important statement of principles and report in early June -- Criminal Court Reopening and Public Health in the COVID-19 Era. 

Washington, DC (July 23, 2020) – Beginning August 18, 2020, the Virginia General Assembly will convene a special legislative session during which it is expected to address numerous proposals for meaningful criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth

Washington, DC (July 15, 2020) -- It has now been over four months since the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) issued its first warning that the incarcerated people, staff, and communities inside and surrounding the nation’s p

It's Time to Replace Arrests with a Public Health Response to COVID-19 -- Washington, DC (June 18, 2020) -- On May 27, 2020, our organizations -- a multidisciplinary team of national law enforcement, public health and criminal legal organizations and

NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project Disappointed in Small Number of Commutations in New York -- The NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project Calls on Governor Cuomo to Increase and Regularize Grants; ‘The Robust Exercise of Executive Clemency Power

Vanita Gupta, Brittany Barnett, Clark Neily, and Norman Reimer to participate in panel discussion about the film.

NACDL Issues Statement of Principles and Report – “Criminal Court Reopening and Public Health in the COVID-19 Era”

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Seeking Release of Medically Vulnerable Individuals from Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, Calif. -- Washington, DC (June 1, 2020) -- The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), joined by California Attor

NACDL President Nina J. Ginsberg Demands Law Enforcement Reforms to Address Systemic Injustice and Promote Healing

Washington, DC (May 27, 2020) – A group of national organizations, including the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Center for HIV Law & Policy, today released a set of principles

Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar Decries Criminalization as Response to COVID-19, Warns of Disparate Impact -- Washington, DC (May 11, 2020) – On Saturday, May 9, 2020, NACDL’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted the “NACDL Supplem

In a massive pro bono effort, our groups are recruiting, training, and supporting lawyers who agree to represent individuals in federal prisons eligible for compassionate release and those at special risk due to COVID-19.

Washington, DC (March 23, 2020) – This afternoon, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law a bill repealing the death penalty in Colorado, making Colorado the 22nd state in the United States, in addition to the District of Columbia, to abolish

Washington, DC (March 4, 2020) – The modern American way of criminal justice — mass incarceration on a scale exceeding both the absolute and per capita incarceration numbers of virtually every nation on earth — has set the stage for pote

Washington, DC (Feb. 26, 2020) – U.S. President Donald Trump has engaged in a pattern of relentless, escalating, and unprecedented attacks on the judiciary, judicial independence, and the judicial process itself. The National Association of Criminal

Washington, DC (Feb. 19, 2020) – On Friday, February 14, 2020, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) conferred its Champion of Justice Award to Justin Brooks, Director and Co-Founder of the California Innocence Project (CIP).