Report from NACDL Working Group on the Role of the Federal Government in Public Defense

Over the past several years there have been various calls for the creation of a federal entity to pursue issues of import to the defense function. The concept has taken several forms, including the call to create a narrow, specific defense counterpart to the U.S. Solicitor General; an organization to oversee federal public defense; and a broader, all-encompassing agency to countermand the role of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.