One-Week Tally on Open Petition to Save Federal Defenders

One week ago today, I posted on this site the following petition.  It has now been signed by 233 people from across the country, including 182 law professors.  Each person signed individually, not on behalf of any law school or other entity.  The names of supporters appear below the fold.  Please email me ([email protected]) if you’d like to join the petition.  Thanks!

“Petition: Save Federal Defender Services

“Sequestration imperils the constitutional right of criminal defendants to adequate legal representation.  About 90% of federal criminal defendants require court-appointed counsel.  In FY 2013, sequestration resulted in a $52 million cut to Federal Defender Services, bringing massive layoffs and furloughs.  It is estimated that in FY 2014, if nothing is done, FDS will be forced to terminate as many as one-third to one-half of employees.

“Funding for prosecutors is apparently headed in the opposite direction.  The Senate Appropriations Committee last week announced a $79 million increase to the FY 2014 budget for U.S. Attorneys’ offices for the express purpose of bringing more criminal cases in federal court.  This radical imbalance threatens the fundamental right to counsel.

“Please join me in urging Congress and the President to restore adequate funding for Federal Defender Services.”

Adam Gershowitz

Adele Bernhard

Adne Cummings

Alex Kreit

Alex Landon

Alexandra Natapoff

Allie Robbins

Amy Eldridge

Andrea Armstrong

Andrea Roth

Angela Davis

Ann McGinley

Anna Roberts

Anne Hornsby

Anne Poulin

Art Leavens

Barbara Stark

Bennett Capers

Beryl Blaustone

Bonnie Williams

Brian Clarke

Brian Gallini

Brian Sheppard

Bryan Adamson

Carlin Meyer

Carmen Gonzalez

Carol Steiker

Caroline Harada

Cassandra Robertson

Catherine Grosso

Catherine Rogers

Charles Bobis

Charles Nadler

Christian Carey

Christopher Bettis

Christopher Blakesley

Clare Pastore

Clifford Fishman

Colette Routel

Corey Rayburn Yung

Cortney Lollar

Courtney Shelby

Cynthia Alkon

Cynthia Lee

Dan Filler

Dan Market

Dan Partan

Dan Subotnik

Darryl Brown

David Abraham

David Garrow

David Jaros

David Lyons

David Rossman

Dean Rivkin

Deirdre Mulligan

Deryl Dantzler

Deven Desai

D'lorah Hughes

Donna Coker

Douglas Berman

Eileen Kaufman

Elizabeth Hilliard

Ellen Podgor

Eric Freedman

Erica Zunkal

Fabio Arcila

Fiona Doherty

Fletcher Peacock

Frank Herrmann

Fredrick Vars

Gabriel Chin

Gail Stage

George Dent

George Fisher

Giovanna Shay

Glory McLaughlin

Golnaz Fakhimi

Grace Lee

Greg Gilchrist

H. Candace Gorman

Hal Abramson

Heather Elliott

Heather Herrington

Henry McGee

Herbert Larson

Ian Weinstein

Ileana Gutierrez

J. Herbie DiFonzo

J.D. King

James Gronquist

James Noble

James Trimble

Janet Ainsworth

Janet Dolgin

Janet Moore

Jed Gross

Jeff Bellin

Jeff Kirchmeier

Jennifer Gundlach

Jenny Roberts

Jill Paperno

Joe Lee

Joe Miller

John Blume

John Lane

John Steele

John Stinneford

John Strait

Jon Stage

Jonah Gelbach

Jonathan Rapping

Jonathan Witmer-Rich

Joseph Leahy

Joshua Dressler

Jules Epstein

Juli Campagna

Juliet Brodie

Juliet Stumpf

K. Babe Howell

Karen Pita Loor

Karen Sanders

Karena Rahall

Katherine Goldwasser

Kenneth Simons

Kent Moston

Kerry Hultquist

Kevin McElroy

Kimberly Bailey

LaJuana Davis

Larry Allred

Laura Appelman

Laura Oren

Lauren Carasik

Lawrence Marshall

Linda Keller

Lynne Henderson

Margaret Fisher

Margery Koosed

Marianne Artusio

Mario Machado

Marjorie Cohn

Marjorie Silver

Martin Garvey

Mary Berkheiser

Mary Sue Backus

Matt Henry

Melinda Branscomb

Meredith Duncan

Michael Benza

Michael Lahammer

Michael Mannheimer

Michael O'Hear

Michael Pardo

Michael Perlin

Michael Pinard

Michael Rich

Michael Schneider

Miriam Albert

Miriam Baer

Monroe Freedman

Nancy Marcus

Nina Chernoff

Noah Jones

Norman Garland

Norman Silber

Oriol Vidal-Aparicio

Pamela Edwards

Pamela Metzger

Parag Bhayani

Patricia Gray

Patrick Luff

Patrick O'Donnell

Paul Diller

Paul Kurtz

Paula Junghans

Peter Davis

Peter Linzer

Phyllis Crocker

Ramzi Kassem

Ranjana Natarajan

Rees Conrad Douglas

Ricardo Bascuas

Richard Klein

Richard Leo

Richard Ottinger

Robert Batey

Robert Gensburg

Robert Lawry

Robert Sloane

Robert Strassfeld

Robin Charlow

Ruth Parlin

S. James Rosenfeld

Sally Perez

Sanford Greenberg

Sara Gordon

Scott Bauries

Scott Greenfield

Seth Fortin

Shari Lynn Allison

Sharon Byers

Sheri Johnson

Sherri Keene

Stacy Caplow

Stanley Fisher

Steve Berenson

Steven Richardson

Steven Zeidman

Sudha Setty

Susan Donovan

Susan Fortney

Susan Mandiberg

Susan Rozelle

Susan Trimble

Sylvia Royce

Talitha Bailey

Tanya Cooper

Taylor Flynn

Taylor Sampson

Thomas Guernsey

Thomas Schweitzer

Thomas Staunton

Tigran Eldred

Tina Foster

Tom McDonnell

Tony Dillof

Tracy Norton

Virginia Hench

Wadie Said

Wendy Bautista

William Patton

Zachary Norris