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
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.
Today, I spoke w/ @3lake.bsky.social Senior Policy Counsel at Southern Center for Human Rights. We discussed a new slate of "tough on crime" laws in Gerogia that might make communities even less safe.
spotify.link/rbTWQjHVEXb
spotify.link/rbTWQjHVEXb
October 22, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Today, I spoke w/ @3lake.bsky.social Senior Policy Counsel at Southern Center for Human Rights. We discussed a new slate of "tough on crime" laws in Gerogia that might make communities even less safe.
spotify.link/rbTWQjHVEXb
spotify.link/rbTWQjHVEXb
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Rémy Voisin Starns, the 1st statewide public defender in Louisiana, refused to renew the attorneys’ one-year Chief public defender contracts after they opposed his plan to gain more authority over the public defender system’s finances & their salaries
Reporting by the Louisiana Illuminator
Reporting by the Louisiana Illuminator
Public defenders sue Louisiana over their 'terminations,' allege governor's office interference • Louisiana Illuminator
Four attorneys who used to lead local public defender offices are suing the Louisiana government and the state public defender over their terminations. They allege Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration in...
lailluminator.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Rémy Voisin Starns, the 1st statewide public defender in Louisiana, refused to renew the attorneys’ one-year Chief public defender contracts after they opposed his plan to gain more authority over the public defender system’s finances & their salaries
Reporting by the Louisiana Illuminator
Reporting by the Louisiana Illuminator
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
🎧 Tune in to @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social to hear senior reporter @danhinkel.bsky.social discuss his latest investigation of the Cook County Conviction Integrity Unit. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4...
October 15, 2025 at 8:03 PM
🎧 Tune in to @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social to hear senior reporter @danhinkel.bsky.social discuss his latest investigation of the Cook County Conviction Integrity Unit. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4...
Today, I spoke w/Dan Hinkel, a senior reporter w/
@injusticewatch.org. We discussed his reporting about how Cook County's new State Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke hallowed out the Conviction Integrity Unit leaving the wrongfully convicted with fewer paths to justice
open.spotify.com/episode/5FdI...
@injusticewatch.org. We discussed his reporting about how Cook County's new State Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke hallowed out the Conviction Integrity Unit leaving the wrongfully convicted with fewer paths to justice
open.spotify.com/episode/5FdI...
October 15, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Today, I spoke w/Dan Hinkel, a senior reporter w/
@injusticewatch.org. We discussed his reporting about how Cook County's new State Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke hallowed out the Conviction Integrity Unit leaving the wrongfully convicted with fewer paths to justice
open.spotify.com/episode/5FdI...
@injusticewatch.org. We discussed his reporting about how Cook County's new State Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke hallowed out the Conviction Integrity Unit leaving the wrongfully convicted with fewer paths to justice
open.spotify.com/episode/5FdI...
Today, I spoke w/Miami-Dade County Chief Public Defender Carlos Martinez. We discussed how immigration enforcement is affecting their clients, how they've gotten their workloads under control, and how the expansion of the death penalty could upend that progress.
spotify.link/cEXdiu0otXb
spotify.link/cEXdiu0otXb
October 15, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Today, I spoke w/Miami-Dade County Chief Public Defender Carlos Martinez. We discussed how immigration enforcement is affecting their clients, how they've gotten their workloads under control, and how the expansion of the death penalty could upend that progress.
spotify.link/cEXdiu0otXb
spotify.link/cEXdiu0otXb
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Chicago’s new chief prosecutor has expanded a rule forcing people with convictions to choose between having their convictions reviewed by prosecutors or pressing their case in court. Excerpts say it could discourage people from making innocence claims.
Exonerations Grind to a Halt Under Chicago’s New Prosecutor
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has weakened her office’s already broken system for freeing the innocent, even as allegations of coercion mount against a former Chicago detective.
boltsmag.org
October 15, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Chicago’s new chief prosecutor has expanded a rule forcing people with convictions to choose between having their convictions reviewed by prosecutors or pressing their case in court. Excerpts say it could discourage people from making innocence claims.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Axon is one of the biggest provider of police tech in the country and they are staking a lot on their AI product.
Now that the ink is dry on S.B.524, if police in California use their report writing tool as it comes out of box without additional retention practices, they will be breaking the law.
Now that the ink is dry on S.B.524, if police in California use their report writing tool as it comes out of box without additional retention practices, they will be breaking the law.
Victory! California Requires Transparency for AI Police Reports
California Governor Newsom has signed SB 524, making California the second state to take an important first step toward regulating AI police reports.
www.eff.org
October 14, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Axon is one of the biggest provider of police tech in the country and they are staking a lot on their AI product.
Now that the ink is dry on S.B.524, if police in California use their report writing tool as it comes out of box without additional retention practices, they will be breaking the law.
Now that the ink is dry on S.B.524, if police in California use their report writing tool as it comes out of box without additional retention practices, they will be breaking the law.
Reposted by Public Defenseless Podcast
Explosive story on how your data will be used against you. Read this! www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The surveillance empire that tracked world leaders, a Vatican enemy, and maybe you
Inside the hidden world of First Wap, whose untraceable tech has targeted politicians, journalists, celebrities, and activists around the globe.
www.motherjones.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Explosive story on how your data will be used against you. Read this! www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Montana State Public Defender annual conference. I sat down with 7 OSPD PDs to discuss how enforcing workload standards changed the culture and the future of Montana Public Defense.
spotify.link/6Wt3pbNCrXb
spotify.link/6Wt3pbNCrXb
October 13, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Montana State Public Defender annual conference. I sat down with 7 OSPD PDs to discuss how enforcing workload standards changed the culture and the future of Montana Public Defense.
spotify.link/6Wt3pbNCrXb
spotify.link/6Wt3pbNCrXb