Category: News
NACDL Pushes For Action in Peter Erlinder Arrest in Rwanda
Attorney Cynthia Orr, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President, is requesting urgent action be taken to protect criminal defense attorney and professor Peter Erlinder. According to the NACDL letter to the United Nations, Erlinder is being detained by the government of Rwanda. He is a defense attorney at the ICTR and a professor of Law at William Mitchell…
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NACDL and The Heritage Foundation Release Report About Criminal Intent Requirement in Federal Law
According to a report released by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and The Heritage Foundation, many of the criminal offenses Congress is enacting are flawed. A majority of enacted offenses fail to protect the innocent with adequate mens rea, or “guilty mind” requirements, and many of them are vague, far-reaching and imprecise, leaving lawyers…
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr Said Politics Should Not Weaken Rule of Law
NACDL President Cynthia Orr said she is thankful lawyers from across the country defended Justice Department lawyers who formerly provided legal assistance to Guantanamo detainees and military commission defendants when they were being criticized. Orr said she was pleased to see lawyers defending the constitutional role of legal counsel in justice system. Lawyers who have chosen to work…
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Attorney Cynthia Orr Testifies on Behalf of NACDL Concerning Structure of Maryland Indigent Defense Oversight Commission
Cynthia Orr, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, testified on behalf of the organization urging Maryland to develop a truly independent oversight commission. Orr told the Maryland General Assembly the NACDL members think the state needed the oversight commission to uphold national public defense standards and to ensure essential indigent defense procedures. The…
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr Said DWI Cases Should Be Treated More Seriously
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr said although drunk driving and DWI cases are seen as routine and insubstantial to some attorneys, they should be treated more seriously. In the President’s Column in The Champion, the NACDL’s monthly publication, Orr said DWI and drunk driving convictions often carry life-altering punishments, which can…
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr Discusses Suit to End Renegade Commissions
As reported by the NACDL, attorneys for two Guantanamo defendants have filed a lawsuit in federal court to halt renegade military commission proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. NACDL President Cynthia Orr said the DC Circuit must bring the commissions to a halt – as President Barack Obama ordered – before they inflict any more damage on…
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr Said Country Needs to Reexamine Drug Laws
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr said the country needs to rethink the structure of its drug laws and the way the criminal justice system handles drug users. About 500,000 men and women are incarcerated for a drug offense, and they are disproportionately poor, minorities or immigrants, Orr said in a NACDL statement….
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NACDL President Cynthia Orr Said Harris County Indigent-Defense System Needs Improvements
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President Cynthia Orr said Harris County, which includes Houston, should implement a public defender office without delay for the benefit of the taxpayers and the defendants. Her statements, along with fellow attorney Norman Lefstein’s were published on September 25th, 2009, by the Houston Chronicle. The county has struggled in…
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NACDL Releases Report on Criminal Costs of Treatment and Reform
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers released a report on the value of problem-solving courts, a topic that is often debated among criminal defense lawyers. Some think the courts are a much-needed advancement, while others disagree, saying they are destroying the system. The two-year, volunteer-run project includes a history and evolution of drug courts, evaluates their…
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Gerry Goldstein Testified on Behalf of NACDL About Waco Search
Gerry Goldstein, president of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, testified on behalf of the organization regarding Fourth Amendment privacy concerns following the tragedy in Waco, Texas. Goldstein, a lawyer from San Antonio, said the Fourth Amendment is in place to protect the rights of privacy for American citizens. However, in the Waco case, a 77-acre…
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