In this episode, we explore the ongoing, multi-year effort to bring criminal discovery reform to the Commonwealth of Virginia, an effort in which NACDL has been a leader. First, I spoke with Doug Ramseur, the capital defender for central Virginia and past president and current board member of Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. We then hear from Virginia State Senator Bill Stanley and NACDL’s Senior Manager for Advocacy Monica Reid. Learn more about NACDL. Ivan J. Dominguez, host. Music West Bank (Lezet) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and Walkabout (Digital Primitives) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Running time: 24m08s.

In this episode, we hear from Derrick Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. I caught up with Mr. Johnson after a meeting he had in New York concerning the NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project, which the NAACP is supporting. Mr. Johnson spoke about the NAACP, criminal justice reform, race and the criminal justice system, the collateral consequences of arrest or conviction, and clemency. Learn more about NACDL. Ivan J. Dominguez, host. Music West Bank (Lezet) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and Walkabout (Digital Primitives) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Running time: 11m43s.

As part of NACDL’s Public Defense Training Program, NACDL visited Utah to provide a free training to defense lawyers. While in Utah, NACDL Public Affairs & Communications Assistant Allie Funk had the opportunity to sit down with Judge Michael W. Kwan to discuss the right to counsel in America. Since 1998, Judge Kwan has served the Taylorsville Municipal Justice Court in Taylorsville, Utah, which is a suburb of Salt Lake City. This court is one of limited jurisdiction, meaning it handles Class B misdemeanors, Class C misdemeanors, and infractions. Judge Kwan presides over a range of charges, from speeding and moving violations to drug possession, sex work, domestic violence, and driving under the influence. Learn more about NACDL. Alexandra Funk, host; Ivan J. Dominguez, production assistant. Music West Bank (Lezet) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and Walkabout (Digital Primitives) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Running time: 17m45s.

In this episode, we hear from American University School of Communication Professor Rick Stack about a forthcoming, very important documentary concerning the death penalty in America, entitled In The Executioner’s Shadow. This documentary is co-produced by Rick Stack and Professor Maggie Burnette Stogner, also of the American University School of Communication. And the project has been made possible through the support of American University. On Wednesday, April 11, the American University School of Communication will be hosting the first pre-screening of the film. The event is open to the public. Following the pre-screening, there will be a panel discussion. The panel will consist of the three primary characters in the documentary as well as both filmmakers and Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition Against Death Penalty. Learn more about NACDL. Ivan J. Dominguez, host. Music West Bank (Lezet) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and Walkabout (Digital Primitives) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Running time: 12m40s.

Tomorrow is March 1, the start of Women’s History Month, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, through its publishing unit NACDL Press, is releasing The Feminine Sixth: Women for the Defense, a groundbreaking book on women in criminal defense by Andrea D. Lyon. Ms. Lyon is a leading criminal defense attorney, legal scholar, Dean and Professor of Law at Valparaiso University School of Law, and decades-long NACDL member. The Feminine Sixth: Women for the Defense probes the non-fictional accounts of women criminal defense lawyers. Set at a fictional symposium held during Women’s History Month, nine accomplished lawyers reveal the unique ways in which they experience criminal defense practice, the courtroom, and their relationships with clients. With detailed insight into their personal and professional lives, this book illuminates the vital role and immense contributions of women in the profession. Each page invites the reader to travel through moments of justice and injustice, sorrow and joy, and failure and success. The Feminine Sixth: Women for the Defense offers an intimate story of those who tirelessly represent people accused of crime. Order your copy of The Feminine Sixth: Women for the Defense at www.thefemininesixth.com. And join the conversation with #TheFeminine6th on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thefeminine6th and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thefeminine6th.

Learn more about NACDL. Ivan J. Dominguez, host; Alexandra Funk, production assistant. Music West Bank (Lezet) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and Walkabout (Digital Primitives) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Running time: 14m47s.