Archive for April 14, 2007
a pd falls
Apr 14th
Audacity reports that Sherri Johnson (the pd sentenced to 30 days for contempt) has resigned. Apparently she wrote a 17 page resignation letter (as Audacity laments, if only someone could get their hands on it. Smoking Gun, are you listening?)
That’s not all of it, however. It seems that the public defender appointed to represent her on her appeal has withdrawn from representing her and has even asked that his name be stricken from the record!!!!!
Un-frickin’-believable.
Technorati Tags: sherri johnson
Lots of bills reported out of committee
Apr 14th
The judiciary committee, in a flurry of activity before the deadline, reported quite a few bills out of committee. Here’s a list of all relevant criminal justice bills reported out of committee this session:
- HB 5503 An Act Concerning Residency Restrictions for Registered Sexual Offenders
- HB 6285 An Act Concerning The Age of a Child with Respect to Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
- HB 7085 An Act Concerning the SOL for Prosecution of Certain Sexual Assault Offenses Using DNA Evidence.
- HB 7234 An Act Concerning Victim Services.
- HB 7313 An Act Concerning Domestic Violence.
- HB 7335 An Act Concerning Persistent Offenders.
- HB 7365 An Act Concerning the Procedure in a Capital Felony Trial.
- HB 7391 An Act Concerning Preventive Detention.
- HB 7406 An Act Concerning Youthful Offenders…
- HB 7408 An Act Concerning the Risk Assessment Board…
- SB 0170 An Act Concerning Pardons.
- SB 0708 An Act Creating a Violent Offender Registry.
- SB 0838 An Act Requiring the DNA Testing of Certain Arrested Persons.
- SB 1269 An Act Concerning the Quality of Legal Representation of Children and Youth in Juvenile Matters.
- SB 1322 Student Loan Repayment Assistance Bill for Public Defenders and Prosecutors.
- SB 1457 An Act Concerning Consensual Sexual Activity Between Adolescents Close in Age.
- SB 1458 An Act Concerning Jessica’s Law.
- SB 1479 An Act Concerning Judicial Branch Openness.
new blawg
Apr 14th
Thanks to Technorati, I see there is a new blawg entitled “Defending the Public“. In his own words, he is “a third-year law student heading for a career in public defense”. The first post is an interesting examination of how pd agencies should improve their hiring decisions.
Just like the military, large legal firms may have high turnover rates and unhappy associates, but one thing they do well is recruitment. They know the types of students they want to recruit and they make an effort to go out and get them. Sadly, this is something that public defense agencies are failing at miserably..
Given the well-deserved reputation for low salary and wholly undeserved reputation for being the last bastion of inept attorneys, public defender offices are already at a disadvantage when it comes to recruitment of law students. Nevertheless, there are still three student demographics that public defense offices appeal to: “true believers,†students looking for quick trial experience, and students who just want to be involved in criminal law in some capacity.
Go and say hello!
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