March 2009 hearing

On Thursday, June 4, 2009, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, chaired by Robert Scott (D-VA, 3), held a hearing entitled "Indigent Representation: A Growing National Crisis." Click here to read testimony by the witnesses.

On Thursday, March 26, 2009, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, chaired by Robert Scott (D-VA, 3), held an important hearing. This hearing is titled “Representation of Indigent Defendants in Criminal Cases: A Constitutional Crisis in Michigan and Other States?”

The hearing took place at 10:00 a.m. in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Click here for the hearing notice.

You can view the video webcast of this hearing by clicking here. To view the Campaign for Justice press release, click here.

The panel of presenters for the hearing was as follows:

• Dennis Archer, Chairman of Dickinson-Wright, PLLC, Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice, Past-President, American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan [Click for testimony]
  
• David Carroll, Director of Research, National Legal Aid and Defender Association [Click for testimony / Click for oral statement]
• Nancy Diehl, Past-President of the State Bar of Michigan and Chief of the Trial Division, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office [Click for testimony]
• Erik Luna, Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law [Click for testimony]
• Regina Daniels Thomas, Chief Counsel, Legal Aid & Defender Association Juvenile Law Group [Click for testimony]
  
• Robin Dahlberg, Senior Staff Attorney, Racial Justice Program, American Civil Liberties Union [Click for testimony]
  

Click here to view the testimony being submitted by the Campaign for Justice and fifteen of our member organizations! The following individuals and groups submitted written testimony.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM/ATTORNEY ORGANIZATIONS
•    Hon. Fred Borchard, Michigan Judges Association
•    Margaret Sind Raben, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
•    Dick Hillary, Kent County Office of the Defender

PROFESSIONAL/SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
•    Peter Psarouthakis, Michigan Council of Private Investigators
•    Maxine Thome, National Association of Social Workers – Michigan Chapter
•    Theresa Spencer, Michigan County Social Services Association
•    Amy J. Winans, Association for Children’s Mental Health
•    Susan McParland, Michigan Association for Children with Emotional Disorders

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES
•    David A. Moran, Michigan Innocence Clinic
•    Elizabeth Arnovits, Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency

CIVIL RIGHTS/SOCIAL JUSTICE
•    Heaster Wheeler, Detroit Branch NAACP
•    Melanca D. Clark, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

FAITH
•    James Muffett, Citizens for Traditional Values
•    Susan Herman, Michigan Jewish Conference
•    Mary Engle, Prison Fellowship

Click here to read the written testimony of Dawn Van Hoek, deputy director of the State Appellate Defender Office.

Click here to read the written testimony of John Wesley Hall of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.