Students for the Sixth Amendment

11/03/2023

https://www.usccr.gov/reports/2023/right-criminal-legal-defense-maine

As conditions continue to worsen for Maine’s indigent criminal defendants, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a scathing report detailing the State’s failure to meet the Sixth Amendment’s demand for adequate legal representation. Want to get involved? Come to our next meeting on November 7th!

10/03/2023

Tonight’s the night! Don’t miss an incredible opportunity to network and learn about indigent defense in Maine and beyond. We will be providing nibbles and drinks, so come hungry, bring your questions, and get ready for a great time!

09/12/2023

In what ways does this implicate the right to effective assistance of counsel? Is an overworked public defender better than no defense at all?

alert top story Public defenders work 3 times too many cases, milestone study and new data show EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES' PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM Sep 12, 2023 Sep 12, 2023 Updated 2 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Public defenders across America....

09/06/2023

Is an “all hands on deck” approach the right solution for indigent defendants in Maine?

“While Justice Michaela Murphy has not yet decided on the fate of the proposed agreement, she suggested that it fails to address the current crisis afflicting the state's indigent defense program.”

While Justice Michaela Murphy has not yet decided on the fate of the proposed agreement, she suggested that it fails to address the current crisis afflicting the state's indigent defense program.

06/13/2023

“The draft report recommends the national civil rights commission press state leaders to fund Maine’s existing indigent legal services office, develop a “robust and well-structured hybrid public defender system,” and provide data on federally protected classes of people, among other proposed reforms.

The draft report also recommends the University of Maine School of Law develop educational tracks for students to go into public defense, as well as offer night and part-time programs to train lawyers interested in public defense.”

A forthcoming report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights details shortcomings of legal services for Maine's poor residents.

06/06/2023

“Confronted with an impossible choice — fighting for their innocence but often risking decades in prison or admitting to something they didn’t do but salvaging their family and future — innocent people can and do plead guilty.”

The right to a fair trial is hardly a right when the penalty of taking a case before a jury overshadows the intrinsic value of the democratic process.

Executive director Christina Swarns makes the case for the elimination of the trial penalty, which can lead innocent people to plead guilty.

04/27/2023

Sixty years ago the Gideon decision gave the Sixth Amendment its teeth. Despite significant progress, we are a long way from reaching the Sixth’s noble ideal.

At a moment when our fundamental rights are increasingly eroded, now is the time to fulfill the promise of Gideon.

04/15/2023

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.”

https://reagan.blogs.archives.gov/2022/08/15/constitutional-amendments-series-amendment-vi-the-rights-of-the-defendant/