Libsyn Directory

365 | How San Francisco Public Defenders Used the Racial Justice Act to Combat Implicit Racial Bias in the Legal System w/Sujung Kim and Lilah Wolf

Public Defenseless

Release Date: 06/17/2025

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

Public Defenseless

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...

385 | How a Public Defender Fought for a Better Legal System in the Utah State Legislature w/Grant Miller

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Grant Miller, Salt Lake City Public Defender and Representative of Utah’s 24th House District. Last time that he was on the show, Grant was running for office. Now, Grant joins to discuss how his first legislative session went. From passing a bill to reduce fines and fees to helping ensure the Overton window didn’t shift too far to tough on crime side, Grant gives us a reason to be optimistic even when we hold minimal political power. Guest: Grant Miller, Public Defender and Utah House Representative, Salt Lake City, House District 24 ...

384 | How Texas is Trying to Improve Access to Family Defense Attorneys w/Crystal Leff-Piñon

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined by Crystal Leff-Piñon, Director of TIDC’s family protection representation unit. On Tuesday, Hunter and Scott Ehlers discussed the funding problem and attorney shortages leading to a slow moving crisis in rural Texas. Today, Crystal joins to share how similar the issues are for family defense throughout the state of Texas. Guest: Crystal Leff-Piñon, Director, Family Protection Representation, Texas Indigent Defense Commission Resources: TIDC Website: Contact Crystal Contact Hunter...

383 | How Can Texas Solve its Shortage of Rural Public Defender Crisis? w/Scott Ehlers

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined once again the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Executive Director, Scott Ehlers. This time, Scott and Hunter explore a slow moving crisis in Texas Public Defense: an absolute lack of attorneys in rural parts of the state. As with so many states with large rural areas, attorneys are retiring faster than they can be replaced. Scott and his team at TIDC tried to get more funding from the legislature, but as it stands now, the legislature does not seem to be taking this issue as seriously as they should. So what will happen to public defense in rural Texas? ...

382 | What Stopped North Dakota Public Defenders from Refusing New Cases? w/Travis Fink

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined once again by the Executive Director of North Dakota’s Commission of Legal Counsel for the Indigent, Travis Fink. Last time, Travis joined the show to detail a bleak outlook for public defense in the state. Not enough attorneys in both the contract and full-time systems, inadequate pay, and crushing workloads left Travis with little choice. He drafted up a letter preparing to tell the courts the public defender would be taking no new cases, but before he could send it out, the legislature threw the system a lifeline. Guest: Travis Fink, Executive Director,...

381 | With a Shortage of Lawyers and Too Many Cases, Will New Mexico Public Defenders Need to Stop Taking New Cases? w/Ben Baur

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined once again by New Mexico’s Chief Public Defender, Ben Baur. A few years back, a workload study estimated that New Mexico had 1/3 of the public defenders it needed to meet its workload demands. At that time, the state set out on a five-year plan to address the staffing shortage. Unfortunately, the state has not stuck to the five-year plan. Now, with a shortage of attorneys in rural parts of the state, low pay for contract attorneys, and still too many cases, will the New Mexico public defenders have to stop taking new cases? Guest: Ben Baur, Chief Public...

380 | How Washington is Helping People Who Have been Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity w/Tim Ray Johnson, Dennis Calhoun, and Amanda Ulrich

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined by Dennis Calhoun, Tim Ray Johnson, and Amanda Ulrich to discuss how Washington is helping people who were found not guilty by reason of insanity. Guest: Tim Ray Johnson, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Washington Dennis Calhoun, Student, Washington Amanda Ulrich, Public Defender Washington Resources: WA PD NGRI Email Amdanda and Tim [email protected] Contact Hunter...

379 | How Washington is Trying to Recruit and Keep Lawyers in Rural Parts of the State w/ Nat Jacob, Elizabeth Mustin, Rachel Cortez

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined by Nat Jacob, Elizabeth Mustin, and Rachel Cortez to discuss new efforts by the Washington to recruit and retain Public Defenders. Guest Nat Jacob, Recruitment and Retention Managing Attorney Western Washington, Washington Office of Public Defense Rachel Cortez, Recruitment and Retention Managing Attorney Eastern Washington, Washington Office of Public Defense Elizabeth Mustin, Supervising Attorney, Youth Criminal Defense Project, Washington Office of Public Defense Resources: WA PD Fellowship Emails Contact Hunter...

378 | Why is Oklahoma Going to Execute a Man who Didn't Kill Anyone? w/Amanda Bass Castro Alves

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined by federal public defender Amanda Bass Castro Alves to discuss the wrongful conviction of Tremane Wood. In 2004, Tremane was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to death in the State of Oklahoma. Just after that, his brother, who admitted to pulling the trigger and who stated Tremane was not responsible for the death, was given a life sentence just after Tremane’s trial. So how is it that a person who did not kill anyone ended up on death row? All that and more on today’s episode. Guest Amanda Bass Castro Alves, Assistant Federal Public Defender, District of...

377 | How Was a Man Convicted of Murder When He Wasn't in the State When the Crime Occurred? w/Erica Nichols Cook

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Erica Nichols Cook, the head of the Iowa State Public Defender Wrongful Conviction Unit. On today’s episode, Erica walks us through the case of Jerry Mark. In 1976, he was convicted of the murder of his brother, sister-in-law and their two children, but as you will hear, all the evidence points to the fact that Jerry Mark wasn’t even in the state when the murder happened. Guest Erica Nichols Cook, Director, Wrongful Convictions Unit, Iowa State Public Defender Resources: More About Jerry’s Case Contact Erica ...

More Episodes

Today, Hunter was joined by two San Francisco Public Defenders, Sujung Kim and Lilah Wolf, to discuss their recent Racial Justice Act Victory. This California law was designed in part to give public defenders the tools to get explicit and implicit racism out of the criminal legal system. Today, we discussed how it came to be, why it needs to be in place, and how public defenders in California and around the country could be using it.

Guest

Sujung Kim, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco, California

Lilah Wolf, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco, California

Resources:

Contact the SF Public Defender

ttps://sfpublicdefender.org/

https://www.facebook.com/sfpublicdefender

https://x.com/sfdefender

https://www.instagram.com/sfpublicdefender/

Exhibits from the Trial

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Qd5HC8wB7HuV_xoh6fHLQwRMmybJWShD?usp=sharing

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