Past President E.E. (Bo) Edwards passes - Washington, DC (December 14, 2004) – It saddens me to inform our members and the public that NACDL Immediate Past President E.E. (Bo) Edwards passed away this morning at Vanderbilt Medical Center in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He was 61 years old.

Patricia Puritz Named 2004 "Champion of Indigent Defense" - Washington, DC (October 25, 2004) -- The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) named Patricia Puritz as the 2004 “Champion of Indigent Defense.” Puritz has served as the Director of the American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center since 1985.

Sentencing Guidelines Not Dead Yet - Washington, DC (July 9, 2004) -- Reports of the death of the federal sentencing guidelines are greatly exaggerated.

Court rejects indefinite detentions; detainees must have access to courts, counsel - Washington, DC (June 28, 2004) – In light of today’s Supreme Court decisions in Rasul v. Bush, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld v. Padilla, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers will redouble its efforts to obtain counsel and access to federal courts for civilian detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, and U.S. Naval Brig, Charleston, S.C. NACDL will also continue to provide amicus curiae support for detainees seeking petitions for their release under the federal habeas corpus statutes.

Statement of Barry C. Scheck President-Elect, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers On Blakely v. Washington - Washington, DC (June 24, 2004) -- Beyond a doubt, today’s decision in Blakely spells the end of sentencing guidelines -- as we know them. The decision does not represent a step backward from the goal of sentencing reform, but a great leap forward, because it stands for the proposition that no defendant in a U.S. court will be punished for an unproven crime.

Founder Sam Dash Dies Statement of NACDL President E.E. (Bo) Edwards - Washington, DC (May 30, 2004) -- Samuel Dash, 79, a founder of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the association’s second president (1959), died Saturday, May 29, in Washington, DC, after a long illness.

Media Advisory - Baton Rouge, LA (March, 8 2004) -- The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association will hold a press conference tomorrow to release a new report on the state of indigent defense. Copies of the report will be available at the news conference.

Murder trial lawyer spent 11 minutes preparing case - Baton Rouge, LA (March 4, 2004) -- The second-degree murder trial of Johnny Lee Bell is expected to conclude before lunch today. Rapides Parish (La.) Public Defender Bridgett Brown informed Judge W. Ross Foote on Tuesday that she had only spent 11 minutes with Bell preparing for trial and that she had not yet had time to locate witnesses, retain experts, file a motion to suppress his statement to police or otherwise investigate Bell’s claim that the shooting was accidental – despite the fact that Bell has been...

NACDL, Innocence Project call for reopening cases in light of National Academies report on FBI bullet lead analysis - Washington, DC (February 10, 2004) -- The National Academies’ report released today, Forensic Analysis: Weighing Bullet Lead Evidence, demonstrates once again the value of peer-reviewed, open science. The FBI is to be commended for requesting this intensive review and the National Research Council for its comprehensive findings and recommendations.

Va. Indigent Defense System Still Failing - Washington, DC (February 2, 2004) -- A new study of Virginia's indigent defense system released Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, concludes that the state is still failing miserably in providing constitutionally-adequate representation in criminal cases to persons who cannot afford it. 

Presidential Candidates Address Criminal Justice Issues - Washington, DC (January 14, 2004) -- In mid-October, 2003, The Champion, monthly magazine of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, sent a list of questions to the nine declared Democratic candidates for president and the Bush-Cheney campaign. The candidates were asked for their views on the death penalty, DNA evidence, indigent defense services, judicial discretion, the war on terrorism versus civil liberties, and white collar/corporate crime.