Category: Media Appearances

As reported by the Champion, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ publication, organization president Cynthia Orr said the press plays a crucial role in the way the criminal justice system functions. Orr said the press, also known as the Fourth Estate, is needed because journalism can be used to expose governmental abuses of power, discuss…
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According to a report released by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, forensic evidence that is used in court often in based on speculative research, interpretations and quality control procedures. The NACDL is supporting reform efforts in the forensic science community, and organization president Cynthia Orr said crime labs throughout the country have uncovered hundreds…
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National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr said sentencing should be aimed at achieving success and addressing crime, rather than a general sentence to serve as a punishment. In the President Column in The Champion, Orr tells the story of a San Antonio man who was convicted of armed robbery and received a sentence…
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As reported by National Public Radio on March 23, 2010, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to lessen the punishment for possession of crack cocaine after decades of debates and lobbying. The current law punishes crack users 100 times more heavily than powder cocaine users, but the new Senate bill brings the 100-to-1 ratio down to…
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National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr testified on behalf of the organization on a variety of proposed amendments to the current sentencing laws. According to a statement from the organization, Orr told the U.S. Sentencing Commission the NACDL is committed to more individual sentencing in court, rather than a punishment that would apply…
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr said most civil lawyers believe criminal cases are tried after all evidence is disclosed to both parties in the case, but that is not always the truth. In the President’s Column in The Champion, the NACDL’s monthly publication, Orr explained the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure were recently amended to require broader…
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As reported by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, attorney Cynthia Orr said she is pleased Chief Judge Sharon Keller was found to have acted in a poor manor when she refused an after-hour filing of a stay of execution. Orr, a San Antonio-based attorney, said in an NACDL statement, Keller’s words and actions suggest…
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As reported by The Champion, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers released a 12-page preliminary report advocating a change in the forensic science community with hopes of establishing a national resource center. NACDL President Cynthia Orr said cases often are broken on scientific evidence. Orr said crime labs throughout the country have uncovered hundreds of cases where mistakes…
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National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr said there is no longer a place in the criminal justice system for the death penalty. In the President Column in The Champion, the NACDL’s monthly publication, Orr said the death penalty has replaced lynching in modern society. Instead, today there is a trial that leads to…
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As reported by Newsweek, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers supports getting drug offenders into treatment and rehabilitation programs, but a guilty plea should not be a part of the program. Attorney Cynthia Orr, president of the organization, said the addiction is a public health problem and should be treated as such. Drug offenders, she…
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