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Public Defenseless: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Hunter Parnell
Public Defenseless explores the rot in the criminal legal 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 their employers'. Not legal advice.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days ago1h 5m
530 | 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 Picture Justice. In her new role, Diane is focused on helping defenders prepare for capital cases with the hope of abolishing the death penalty around the country. Guest: Diane Lozano, Executive Director, Full Picture Justice Resource: Learn More Here: https://www.fullpicturejustice.org/ Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.
- 4 days ago1h 1m
529 | 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 Los Angeles Public Defender was published by RAND. Ricardo and Traci joined the show to discuss the findings of the study and how leadership plans on using the study to get more funding for the office. Guest: Ricardo García, Los Angeles County Public Defender Traci Blackburn, Assistant Public Defender, Los Angeles County Public Defender Resource: Read the Report Here https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA5011-1.html Learn More About the Office Here https://pubdef.lacounty.gov/ https://www.instagram.com/lapubdef/ https://www.facebook.com/LACOUNTYPD/ https://x.com/lapubdef https://www.linkedin.com/company/lapubdef/home/ Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.
- 1 weeks ago1h 4m
528 | 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 Project Rio, a program that connects people experiencing homelessness with services instead of jail. Richard and Hunter also dig into how state-level criminal justice policy is piling workload pressure onto public defenders, and why that pressure may not be sustainable. Guest: Richard Mauro, Executive Director, Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, Utah Resource: Contact the Office Here:https://www.sllda.com/ Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.
- 1 weeks ago1h 0m
527 | 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 overseeing the defense of parents and kids in the family legal system. She joins the show to explain how Montana set up this system and why it is so important for Public Defenders to do more than just criminal defense. Guest: Kelly Driscoll, Family Defense Bureau Chief, Montana State Public Defender Resource: Learn More About the Office Here:https://publicdefender.mt.gov/ Case Law on the right to counsel in Family Court in Montana https://civilrighttocounsel.org/major_developments/montana-parents-have-constitutional-right-to-counsel-in-adoptions-says-high-court/ https://civilrighttocounsel.org/uploaded_files/183/4_AWS_Opinion_published.pdf https://www.leagle.com/decision/1993979852p2d1271976 Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: <a href= "mailto:publicdefenseless@gmail.com
- 2 weeks ago37 min
Bonus: 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 Vote no on 132. These two sat down to discuss the Colorado Ballot Initiative, Prop 132, another attempt by the Colorado Conservative dark money group, Advance Colorado, to restart the war on drugs. Guest:Kyle Giddings, the Deputy Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the Campaign Chair for Vote no on 132, Colorado Resource: Learn More about Prop 132: https://noon132.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24337605029&gbraid=0AAAABE7pyO0T69Hy4YQZljkynzrlV47kC&gclid=CjwKCAjwrbfWBhAeEiwAc2e6PhFJoWANSo08mY0SACwL77PJbarugzIUGIfmWL7MdWwyezCRifv-ZxoCM7IQAvD_BwE Learn More about Advance Colorado: https://www.whoisadvancecolorado.org/ https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/10/11/the-most-influential-republican-in-the-state-doesnt-hold-office-6/ https://www.denverpost.com/2026/10/08/advance-colorado-ballot-measures-election-2026/ https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/09/17/warp-democracy-in-colorado/ Public Def
- 2 weeks ago1h 5m
526 | How Public Defenders can use New Second Amendment Supreme Court Case to Win Self-Defense Claims w/Jacob Charles
On this episode, Hunter is joined once again by Professor Jacob Charles. Last time Jacob was on the show, he and Hunter discussed the groundbreaking Second Amendment cases of Bruen and Rahimi. This time, Jacob sits down to examine the two newest Supreme Court Second Amendment Cases Wolford and Hemani and detail what these cases could mean for criminal defense lawyers. Guest: Jacob Charles, Professor of Law, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law Resource: Contact Jacob Here:https://law.pepperdine.edu/faculty-research/jacob-charles/ https://bsky.app/profile/jacobdcharles.bsky.social Read the Cases Here: Hemani: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1234_g2bh.pdf Wolford: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1046_nmio.pdf Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.
- 2 weeks ago42 min
525 | 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 voices sounding the alarms about the proliferation of mass surveillance technology. Now, Matthew is here to discuss a new, frightening technology that may be coming to a neighbourhood near you: Armed Autonomous Drones. Guest: Matthew Guariglia, Senior Policy Analyst, Electronic Frontier Foundation Resource: Follow Matthew's Work Here:https://www.eff.org/about/staff/dr-matthew-guariglia-0 https://www.matthewguariglia.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/mguariglia.bsky.social Read More About the Drones Here: https://www.404media.co/new-orleans-cops-published-policy-document-allowing-weaponized-drones/ Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell
- 2 weeks ago1h 11m
524 | 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 book, Stuart walks readers through the long history of how police departments around the country organized themselves to create some of the most influential organizations in all of American politics. Guest: Stuart Schrader, Associate Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University Resource: Pick up a Copy of the Book Here:https://shorturl.at/O0yaq Follow Stuart Here:https://bsky.app/profile/stschrader1.bsky.social https://soc.jhu.edu/directory/stuart-schrader/ Public Defenseless Links and Contact Get each new episode a day early on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Search past episode transcripts: https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home Follow and support the show, plus all our links: https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.
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About Public Defenseless
Public Defenseless explores the rot in the criminal legal 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 their employers'. Not legal advice.
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