260 | How the Lack of Independence Weakens Federal Public Defense w/Melody Brannon

Today, Hunter spoke with the Chief Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas to discuss independence, or the lack thereof, for federal public defenders. Unlike many state systems, the federal system is at the mercy of the federal judiciary. As a result of this judicial oversight, the federal public defenders can be hesitant to be as vocal and aggressive in their public advocacy. Over the past year, the hiring freeze for federal public defense demonstrated the pressing need to remove the federal public defenders out from the control of the bench.     Guests: Melody Brannon, Chief Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas Resources:     Annual Federal Defenders Reports https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/defender-services-annual-report-2022 https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/defender-services-annual-report-2023 NACDL Coverage on Lack of Independence https://www.nacdl.org/Article/August2015-InsideNACDLAFundamentalFlawint 2017 REPORT OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2017_report_of_the_ad_hoc_committee_to_review_the_criminal_justice_act-revised_2811.9.17.29_0.pdf NACDL Testimony to Judicial Conference https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/84b11595-12a0-43d9-89ed-6af4fd732d84/gerry-morris-testimony.pdf Hiring Freeze https://rollcall.com/2023/10/13/federal-public-defenders-warn-proposed-funding-would-cause-layoffs-court-delays/ Eval of Interim Recommendations from the Cardone Report https://cjastudy.fd.org/sites/default/files/Evaluation-of-the-Interim-Recommendations-from-the-Cardone-Report_9.7.23_NoID.pdf     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                             [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN  *As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*