New York State Defenders Justice Fund: Indigent Legal Services Board Meets, Begins Director Search

Friday, November 5, 2010

Indigent Legal Services Board Meets, Begins Director Search

At last, all positions on the Indigent Legal Services Board created by statute earlier this year have been filled! The Board held its first meeting on November 1st, and is embarking on a national search to fill the position of Director of the Office of Indigent Legal Services. While this Board is not the Independent Public Defense Commission we still believe New York State needs, its creation holds great promise for improving public defense services. The Campaign thanks its supporters, who helped bring about this first step in much-needed reform in how New York State addresses its public defense responsibility. Our efforts to see widespread meaningful change in the form of an Independent Public Defense Commission will continue; we look forward to your continued help.

The members of the Board are:
• Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman
• Michael G. Breslin (Albany County Executive)
• Judge Sheila DiTullio (Erie County Court Judge)
• John R. Dunne (former member of the Kaye Commission)
• Gail Gray (NYC criminal defense attorney)
• Susan V. John (currently, Assemblywoman from Rochester)
• Joseph C. Mareane (Tompkins County Administrator)
• Leonard Noisette (former director of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem)
• Susan Sovie (Watertown Family Court attorney)

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Right to Counsel is Fundamental to Justice

The Campaign for an Independent Public Defense Commission is working to fix New York State's broken system of public defense. We represent a coalition of over 200 community organizations and faith communities state-wide.

The Problem: Huge caseloads, poor training, and severe lack of resources for public defenders leave poor and working-class people with dismal representation in court. This leads to wrongful convictions, over-sentencing, and wasted tax-payer dollars. The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action lawsuit against the State for violation of defendants' right to counsel.

The Solution: Describing the system as "an on-going crisis," former New York Chief Judge Judith Kaye called in 2006 for a politically independent public defense commission to administer these services statewide and ensure the rights of the accused are protected. Kaye's successor, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann, agrees with her recommendations, and dozens of prominent legislators, newspaper editorial boards and columnists, former judges, and concerned citizens have spoken out publicly in support of the Commission.

Action: Please contact the State leaders below and tell them, "It's time to fix New York's system of public defense. Please pass The Public Defense Act of 2009 -- S.6002/A.8793 -- this session!"

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver: (518) 455-3791
Governor David Paterson: (518) 474-8390
Your local State Senator and Assemblyperson

Click here for their mailing and email addresses. Please write to them, and use your own stories and words to describe why public defense reform is so important to you. Please include a direct request that the leader do everything in their power to create the Independent Public Defense Commission this session.

Thank you for taking action. Together we're going to win this fight, and take a major step toward equal justice for all in New York State.

For more information, visit www.newyorkjusticefund.org.