Shows / Public Defenseless
Public Defenseless
Anyone paying attention can tell you that our criminal legal system perpetuates cruelty and harm, but the complexity of the legal world overwhelms most people just trying to get through another day. Public Defenseless explores the rot in the system and what we can do about it. Host and public defender Hunter Parnell talks with defense attorneys, advocates, scholars and journalists from across the country as they pull apart the system's convoluted web. Views are the host's and guests' own, not…
Episodes
- Public Defenseless
531 | What Does the Los Angeles County Public Defender Union Think of Their New Workload Study? w/Karl Fenske
On this episode, Hunter is joined by Karl Fenske, a long time Los Angeles County Public Defender and lead steward for Local 148. On this episode, Hunter and…
Public Defenseless530 | What Will it Take to Abolish the Death Penalty in California w/Diane Lozano
On this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Diane Lozano, the former Chief Public Defender for the State of Wyoming and current Executive Director of Full…
Public Defenseless529 | How Does the Leadership of the Los Angeles County Public Defender Plan to Use Their New Workload Study? w/Ricardo Garcia and Traci Blackburn
On this episode, Hunter is joined once again by Ricardo García and for the first time, Traci Blackburn. On September 10th, 2026, a new workload study of the…
Public Defenseless528 | Will Utah's Tough-on-Crime Policies Force Salt Lake's Public Defenders to Stop Taking New Cases? w/Richard Mauro.
On this episode, Hunter welcomes back Richard Mauro, executive director of the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. Richard explains how his office built…
Public Defenseless527 | Why it is so Important for Public Defenders to Expand the Right to Counsel to Family Defense w/Kelly Driscoll
On this episode, Hunter speaks with Kelly Driscoll. As the Bureau Chief for the Family Defense Unit of the Montana Public Defender, Kelly is responsible for…
Public DefenselessBonus: Vote No on Proposition 132, the Colorado Fentanyl Measure From a Conservative Dark Money Group, with Kyle Giddings
On this episode, Hunter is joined once again by Kyle Giddings, the Deputy Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the Campaign Chair for…
Public Defenseless526 | How Public Defenders can use New Second Amendment Supreme Court Case to Win Self-Defense Claims w/Jacob Charles
On this episode, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Jacob Charles. Last time Jacob was on the show, he and Hunter discussed the groundbreaking Second…
Public Defenseless525 | Will Police Soon be Deploying Armed Autonomous Drones to a Neighborhood Near You? w/Matthew Guariglia
On this episode, Hunter is joined once again by Matthew Guariglia. At his work at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Matthew has become one of the leading…
Public Defenseless524 | How Police and Their Unions Became One of the Most Powerful Forces in American Politics w/Stuart Schrader
On this episode, Hunter is joined by Professor Stuart Schrader to discuss his book Blue Power: How Police Organized to Protect and Serve Themselves. In his…
Public Defenseless523 | How the Number One Tool for Mass Deportations Might be Unconstitutional w/Eric Fish
On this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Professor Eric Fish about a law review article he published about our immigration system. Since it was…
Public Defenseless522 | After Nearly Two Decades as an Immigration Judge, Why Did She Decide to Leave Under the Second Trump Administration? w/Judge Mimi Tsankov
On this episode, Hunter speaks with Judge Mimi Tsankov, former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ). Over nearly two decades on…
Public Defenseless521 | How the Media is Missing What is Really Causing Alaska's Legal System to Fail w/Amanda Harber and David Case
In this episode, Hunter speaks with two criminal defense lawyers and former Public Defenders from the state of Alaska, Amanda Harber and David Case. For the…
Public Defenseless520 | Can Prisons be Reformed? What History Tells Us About the Failed Attempts w/C.J. Ciaramella
On this episode, Hunter is joined by C.J. Ciaramella of Reason. Recently, C.J. authored an article for Reason that provides an overview of different eras of…
Public Defenseless519 | How the Maryland Defender Union is Organizing for Better Working Conditions, Pay, and Workloads w/Rachel Kiefer, Alexis Rossetti, and Kalia Woods
On this episode, Hunter speaks with three members of the Maryland Defender Union, Rachel Kierfer, Alexis Rossetti, and Kalia Woods. They join to explain the…
Public Defenseless518 | Did the Supreme Court Finally Ensure the Fourth Amendment Protects Our Data? Part 2 w/Andrew Ferguson
On this episode, Hunter speaks once again by Professor Andrew Ferguson to discuss the Fourth Amendment and the right to privacy. Previously, Hunter spoke with…
Public Defenseless517 | Did the Supreme Court Finally Ensure the Fourth Amendment Protects Our Data? Part 1 w/Jumana Musa
On this episode, Hunter speaks once again Jumana Musa, Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer's Fourth Amendment Center. Hunter and…
Public Defenseless516 | Will a New Commission Finally Get California to Fund Public Defense? w/Chesa Boudin
On this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Chesa Boudin. This time, the two discussed a new commission in California tasked with studying the best path…
Public Defenseless515 | How Public Defense is Failing in Rural California w/Rio Scharf and Josh Schwartz
On this episode, Hunter speaks with Rio Scharf and Josh Schwartz to discuss a report detailing the incredible failing of public defense in rural California…
Public Defenseless514 | How the Prison System fails to Offer Second Chances w/Jesse Crosson
In this episode, Hunter speaks with Jesse Crosson about his book The Best Part of Prison: The Power of Second Chances and Reclaiming Life Out of Darkness…
Public Defenseless513 | How to Teach Kids to Think like a Public Defender w/Emily Galvin Almanza
In this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Emily Galvin Almanza about a new book she is publishing. While her last book sought to teach adults about the…
Public Defenseless512 | How Public Advocacy Secured Missouri Public Defenders Pay Parity and Much More w/Matthew Crowell and Jet McDonald
In this episode, Hunter revisits with Matthew Crowell, Director of the Missouri State Public Defender, and for the first time Jet McDonald, MSPD's newest Comms…
Public Defenseless511 | God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood w/Jasper Craven
On this episode, Hunter speaks with Jasper Craven, author of the book God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of…
Public Defenseless510 | What are a Defense Lawyer's Ethical Obligations When They Use A.I.? w/Mason Clark
On this episode, Professor Mason Clark joins to discuss a new white paper he authored for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers titled Parity in…
Public Defenseless509 | How to Create Workload Standards for Public Defenders w/Malia Brink
Since the release of the National Public Defender Workload Study, Malia Brink travelled the country helping Public Defenders create and implement workload…
Public Defenseless508 | Will Underfunding Push the Defenders Association of Philadelphia to Stop Accepting New Cases? w/Keisha Hudson
In the last budget cycle, Keisha Hudson, Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, asked the city for $5 million. Instead, the city council…
Public Defenseless507 | Robin "Rocky" Myers was Wrongfully Convicted of Murder. Was his Defense Lawyer in the Ku Klux Klan? w/Leah Nelson
The State of Alabama sentenced Robin "Rocky" Myers to death after he was convicted of murder in 1994. Over the next 30 years, Rocky fought to prove his…
Public Defenseless506 | Pink Crime: How to Fight the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity w/Valena Beety
Hunter is joined once again by Professor Valena Beety. Valena joins the show to discuss her new book, Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of…
Public Defenseless505 | Will Automation Make it Harder to Keep Junk Science out of Court? w/Lisa Waters
Hunter is joined once again by Professor Lisa Waters to discuss her law review article, Automating Junk Science. In it, Lisa details a troubling trend where…
Public Defenseless504 | By Helping Victims and Perpetrators, Domestic Violence can Be Solved Without Relying on the Criminal Legal System w/Liz Ortenburger
Hunter is joined by Liz Ortenburger, the CEO of Safe Nest. Liz and her team at Safe Nest operate a shelter and aid center for victims and perpetrators of…
Public Defenseless503 | Why is the NDS Union on Strike? UPDATE THEY WON!! w/Ashley Munger, Katherine Shamsie, and Samantha Rudelich
Breaking news: As the evening of Aug 4, the NDS Union won a contract!! Hunter is joined by Ashley Munger, Katherine Shamsie, and Samantha Rudelich of the NDS…
Public Defenseless502 | How a Not Guilty Verdict in a Homicide Case Shows the Promise of Idaho's Statewide Public Defense System w/Eric Fredericksen and Doug Nelson
Today, Hunter was joined once again by two guests from the Idaho State Public Defender System. Eric Fredericksen, State Public Defender, and Doug Nelson…
Public Defenseless501 | Why Public Defenders Need the Insights and Expertise of Formerly Incarcerated People in Their Offices w/Jennifer Jennison and Sammy Provencio
Hunter is joined once again by Jennifer Jennison and joining us for the first time is Sammy Provencio. After spending more than 30 years in custody, Sammy has…
Public Defenseless500 | Public Defense is Underfunded, but by How Much? Putting a Conservative Number on the Cost of the Right to Counsel w/Ben Polk
Hunter is joined by Ben Polk, Director of the Transformative Justice Project at New York University School of Law, Robert and Helen Bernstein Institute for…
Public Defenseless499 | When Delays in the Appointment of Counsel Violate the Constitution w/Eve Primus
Hunter is joined once again by Professor Eve Primus to discuss another excellent law review article about Public Defense. This time, Professor Primus details…
Public Defenseless498 | How the Allegheny County Public Defender is Getting their Clients Out of Custody and into Care w/Alena Chulick
Today, Hunter was joined by Alena Chulick, the Co-Founder and Project Manager of Project Rehabilitate out of the Allegheny County Public Defender. Thanks to a…
- Public Defenseless
497 | How Did the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Build a Model Holistic Defender Service w/Ann Miller, Susette Billedeaux, and Josh Cahoon
Today, Hunter was joined by Ann Miller, Susette Billedeaux, and Josh Cahoon from the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes…
Public Defenseless496 | Why the Lawyers Handling 80% of Massachusetts's Public Defender Cases Stopped Taking New Cases Part 2 w/Shira Diner
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Shira Diner. Last time she was on the show, she explained why the bar advocates in Massachusetts stopped…
Public Defenseless495 | Will a Severe Budget Deficit in Santa Clara County Require the Public Defender to Stop Taking New Cases? w/Damon Silver
Today, Hunter was joined by Damon Silver Chief Defender of the Santa Clara County Public Defender. Home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County is struggling…
Public Defenseless494 | Why did the Spokane County Public Defenders Sue the County Over New Workload Requirements? w/Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst
Today, Hunter was joined by Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst, two Public Defender leaders from Spokane, Washington. They joined the show to explain why…
Public Defenseless493 | Two Oregon Public Defenders Sued the Oregon Public Defense Commission and Won. Now What? w/Shannon Wilson and Stacey Lowe
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Shannon Wilson and Stacey Lowe. The last time these two Public Defender Leaders in Oregon were on the show, they…
Public Defenseless492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Today, Hunter was joined by Nia Holston from the Abolitionist Law Center and Sean Damon of Straight-Ahead to discuss a case out of Pennsylvania. In…
Public Defenseless491 | The Hidden Punishments in Pre-Trial Detention That Disproportionately Impact LGBTQ People w/Deborah Lolai
Today, Hunter was joined by Professor Deborah Lolai to discuss her law review article, Out of the Closet, in on Bail. In the article, Deborah details the…
Public Defenseless490 | How the Civil Rights Corps Secured a Massive Victory in the Fight Against Cash Bail w/Salil Dudani and Carson White
Hunter is joined by Salil Dudani and Carson White from the Civil Rights Corps. Since they were founded, the Civil Rights Corps has been one of the leaders in…
Public Defenseless489 | Why did a 35 Year Career Prosecutor Walk Away from the DOJ Under the Second Trump Administration? w/John Haried
Today, Hunter was joined by John Haried a career prosecutor in the Department of Justice. After more than 30 years with the Department, John walked away after…
Public Defenseless488 | How Public Defenders Can Fight for Our Clients and for Funding by Engaging with the Media w/Maggie Shepard and Bob McGovern
Today, Hunter was joined by Maggie Shepard and Bob McGovern. Bob and Maggie serve as communications directors for Public Defender agencies, and they joined to…
Public Defenseless487 | Iowa Public Defender Secured a Major Victory for Workload Controls, but will New Tough on Crime Policies Send the System into a Crisis? w/Eric Tindal
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Eric Tindal, a criminal defense lawyer in Iowa. He joined to explain issues Public Defenders in Iowa are facing. While…
Public Defenseless486 | How to Ensure Local Governments Cannot Cooperate with Federal Immigration Enforcement w/Alex Kornya
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Alex Kornya. In this episode, Alex and Hunter discuss a range of topics including court fines and fees in Iowa and how…
Public Defenseless485 | Will Utah Force Homeless People to Move to a Camp Outside of Salt Lake City? w/Nate Crippes
Today, Hunter was joined by Nate Crippes of the Disability Law Center in Utah. Nate joined to discuss the proposed 1,300 bed homeless camp that might be built…
Public Defenseless484 | How the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defenders are Holding Police and Prosecutors Accountable w/Angela Chang and Sean Vicente
Today, Hunter was joined by Angela Chang and Sean Vicente of the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defender Office. They joined the show to explain how they, along…
Public Defenseless483 | How Progressive Politics can Abolish ICE and Build a More Humane Immigration System w/Senator Julie Gonzales
Today, Hunter was joined by Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales. Senator Gonzales was instrumental in shaping Colorado's progressive immigration policies…
Public Defenseless482 | How the Colorado State Public Defender's Policy on Workloads Might Violate a Lawyer's Ethical Obligations w/Jim Castle
Today, Hunter was joined by long time criminal defense lawyer Jim Castle. Jim is here to help people understand the legal ethics related to workload limits and…
Public Defenseless481 | Was a Former Colorado Public Defender Fired for Raising Concerns over his Workload? Part 2 w/Travis Weiner
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Travis Weiner, the former Colorado Public Defender who is suing the Colorado Public Defender System. On a previous…
Public Defenseless480 | Did the Colorado Public Defender Retaliate Against Me for My Speech on the Podcast?
Today, Hunter shared the results of unfair labor complaint against the Colorado State Public Defender system. Guest: Resource: Google Drive with Relevant…
Public Defenseless479 | What Data Tells Us About the Public Defender Well Being Crisis Part 2 w/Jenny Andrews, Matthew Thiese, and Sara McCarthy
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jenny Andrews and for the first time Matthew Thiese and Sarah McCarthay. As was the case on Tuesday, this episode is a…
Public Defenseless478 | The Effect of Public Defender and Support Staff Caseloads on Incarceration Outcomes for Felony Defendants w/Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir
Today, Hunter was joined by Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir to discuss how excessive workloads drive worse outcomes for the people public defenders work…
Public Defenseless477 | What Data Tells Us About the Public Defender Well Being Crisis Part 1 w/Jenny Andrews and Jon Jachimowicz
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jenny Andrews and for the first time Professor Jon Jachimowicz. Over the past year, Jenny, Jon, and the amazing team…
Public Defenseless476 | What Can Public Defender Organizations Do to Help People With Their Student Debt? w/Jane Fox and Alexi Shalom
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jane Fox and for the first time Alexi Shalom. These two have been working tirelessly to develop programs that can help…
Public Defenseless475 | Why is Cook County's State Attorney Fighting to Keep Exonerated People From Getting Certificates of Their Innocence w/Dan Hinkel
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Dan Hinkel. Dan is an investigative journalist with Injustice Watch, and today, he joined the show to talk about the…
Public Defenseless474 | The Lawyer Who Will Take on Corporations and Corrupt Government as Colorado's Attorney General w/David Seligman
Today, Hunter was joined by David Seligman, a civil rights, workers' rights, consumers' rights lawyer and candidate for Attorney General in Colorado. David…
Public Defenseless473 | Public Defenders Should Tell the Courts and Their Clients How Many Cases they Have w/John Gross
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor John Gross. This time, the two discuss a recent article published by John that offers public defenders another…