Summer Programs RecapThe Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Gideon’s Promise Embark on Partnership

Together we will build the next generation of defense attorneys to demand justice for our communities.

For the third year, University of Mississippi School of Law hosted Gideon’s Promise’s 2017 Summer Programs. Returning lawyers from CORE 101 Classes 2015 and 2016, alumni, and public defender leaders gathered from July 28-30, 2017. Together they sharpened their skills and further developed into cutting-edge leaders.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s origins can be traced back to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts of America’s Civil Rights Movement. If “criminal justice reform is this generation’s civil rights movement,” then together, Gideon’s Promise and the SCLC can help usher in a new wave of equity in the American justice system.

This partnership will amplify the advocacy Gideon's Promise public defenders provide for communities and further reforming efforts of the justice system. The partnership priorities are to:1) Provide training and support for public defenders in our nation’s most challenging justice systems,2) Raise awareness of the critical role public defenders must play in a broader strategy to transform

criminal justice in America, and

3) Build strong partnerships between public defenders and the communities they serve.(Cont'd on page 3)

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October 6, 2017Vol. 1, 4th Edition

On July 20, 2017, Gideon’s Promise president, Jonathan Rapping, and executive director, Ilham Askia joined Dr. Charles Steele, president of the National Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to announce a partnership between the two organizations during Dr. Steele’s Presidential Address at the SCLC’s 59th Annual Convention in Memphis, TN.

Jonathan Rapping, Gideon's Promise president (left) with civil rights icon Dr. Bernard Lafayette, former president and current Board of Directors member of SCLC (center), and Ilham Askia, Gideon's Promise executive director (right).

We welcomed 60 new public defenders to the movement on July 30th through the CORE 101 program for new public defenders. They endured two weeks of intensive programming where new Gideon's Promise public defenders discovered the heart, art and virtue of storytelling as attorneys. Elder public defenders offered advice to the new class at the welcome dinner. The 2017 Stephen B. Bright Award honoree was Aisha McWeay, deputy chief public defender in Nashville and Gideon’s Promise alum, for “her contribution to the effort to improve the quality of indigent defense in the South.”

“Confronting “Crimmigration”” was the theme of the kick-off weekend, in response to increased policing on immigrant communities. Gideon’s Promise hosted a training track on defending immigrants, which was open to local immigration advocates. Benita Jain, supervising attorney at the Immigrant Defense Project, led three workshops on best practices for defending non-citizen clients.

(Cont'd on page 3)

Criminal Justice Reform is This Generation’s Civil Rights Movement

Special appreciation to our Defenders of the Promise sponsors: Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund Dechert LLPDeirdre von Dornum and John Madsen Gary KohlmanJustice AidKramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Mark RochonOlender FoundationReed Smith LLPSean and Jennifer RodgersTortoise Investment Management Wigdor LLPWinston & Strawn LLPZuckerman Spaeder LLP

In the Community >>>

Growing Gideon’s Promise – 10 Years and CountingGideon’s Promise celebrates our 10-year anniversary. We have grown exponentially from one program with two partner offices and 16 public defenders to an ever-growing movement of over 1,000 public defenders across 27 states, including the entire state of Maryland. Our participants take part in one or more of our five programs suited to all stages of their public defense career. As the year comes to a close, Gideon's Promise is reflecting on our movement’s growth over time and the work awaiting us ahead.

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Wednesday, September 13, 2017 was “A Night to Celebrate” for Gideon’s Promise. Our friends, colleagues and supporters from Greater New York and the DC, Maryland and Virginia area joined us for a 10-year anniversary celebration. We honored two outstanding attorneys who, like Gideon’s Promise, defend the promise of equal justice. Our executive director, Ilham Askia, proudly presented the Champion of the Community Award to David Patton, the executive director of the Federal Defenders of New York and a senior faculty member of Gideon’s Promise. The Equalizer Award was presented to Alex Spiro, criminal defense attorney at Brafman and Associates. As a close friend of Gideon’s Promise and our movement, Alex Spiro champions the cause of indigent defense because as he stated in his acceptance speech, “poverty should not prevent a person from receiving equal justice.”

Programs UpdateLSPP Partner Schools and Offices

Applications are live for the 2018 Law School Partnership Project (LSPP). LSPP is a pipeline fellowship program for 3Ls at partnering law schools to apply for placement in a Gideon's Promise partner public defender office upon graduation. Partnering law schools agree to compensate recent graduates for one year, and the partner public defender office employs the fellow within the first year of service. This arrangement ensures recent graduates from America’s top law schools begin impactful public defense careers immediately after graduation. Through the CORE 101 Program, the fellows join the Gideon’s Promise community and receives three-years of comprehensive training.

Click here to see the profiles of partner Gideon’s Promise offices: PROFILES

Click here for the application: APPLICATION

The 60-member CORE 101 Class of 2017 included 15 LSPP participants. Listed above are the 2017-2018 LSPP Partner Law Schools. Any interested third year law student from the law schools listed are welcome to apply by October 20, 2017. If there’s a law school you feel should be an LSPP partner for the 2018-2019 recruitment season or if you have any questions, please email Nia Dees at nia@gideonspromise.org.

See what we're up to, watch our latest video.

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Annual Awards Dinner >>>

A Night to Celebrate in New York City

See More Images at: www.gideonspromise.org/events/party-with-a-purpose

Mark Rochon and Gary Kohlman, co-chairmen of Gideon's Promise’s Board of Directors, served as the evening’s MCs, and Jonathan Rapping, president of Gideon’s Promise, gave the closing remarks. The evening was highlighted by celebrities, athletes, and community leaders in criminal justice reform. Grammy Award winning artist, Lisa Fischer was a “Breath of Heaven” as she was accompanied by guitarist J.C. Maillord. They wowed the star-studded crowd with a beautiful performance. The evening was filled with heartfelt speeches, dynamic musical performances and inspirational moments towards action. Thank you to all of the attendees, venue staff, Gideon’s Promise’s volunteers, staff, and the event’s steering committee for making this evening magical. There could not have been “A Night to Celebrate” without you.”

(L-R): Thabo Sefolosha; Gary Kohlman; Alex Spiro; David Patton; Gideon's Promise Executive Director, Ilham Askia; and Gideon's Promise President, Jonathan Rapping.

Gideon's Promise and SCLC Cont’d

When I learned about the work of Gideon’s Promise, it was instantly obvious to me that public defenders had a central role to play in our effort to make America just. As a community activist I understand that public defenders are the key to giving voice to those in the criminal justice system and challenging our misguided assumptions about their humanity. But because public defenders are so overwhelmed and beaten down, these communities often see them as part of the problem. Through this partnership we will redefine the relationship between public defenders and the people they serve. Dr. Benjamin Williams, President, Cobb County (Georgia) Chapter of SCLC

Honoring the release of Crown Heights, the new film from Amazon Studios, Gideon’s Promise participated in two advanced screenings for the film, both followed by panels featuring Gideon’s Promise representatives. Crown Heights follows Colin Warner through 21 grueling years of incarceration while his loved ones fought tirelessly to overturn his wrongful conviction.

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Gideon’s Promise executive director, Ilham Askia, joined the panel following the advanced screening at Morehouse College on August 22, 2017, and Devin Franklin, a Class of 2010 graduate and senior public defender at our partner office in Atlanta, GA, spoke at the screening on August 31st. Crown Heights opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, September 1, 2017.

Following the Crown Heights screening on August 31st, Mr. Franklin represented Gideon's Promise among illustrious panelists: Colin Warner, whose story inspired the making of the film; Lakeith Stanfield, who stars as Colin in the film; Nnamdi Asomugha, who plays Colin’s best friend, Carl King; Clare Gilbert, the Interim Director of the Georgia Innocence Project; Lisa Graybill, the Deputy Legal Director for Criminal Justice Reform at the Southern Poverty Law Center; and Melissa Harris Perry, who moderated the discussion. After watching the evocative and inspirational film with an audience including local community members, Gideon's Promise graduates and current classmates; it was impactful to have Devin represent public defenders and describe how a zealous advocate could have told the story of Mr. Warner that could have led to a more just outcome prior to his incarceration. Mr. Franklin made it clear that you must have client-centered public defenders to represent the accused with dignity.

When Melissa Harris Perry asked Devin about providing quality defense in under-resourced areas, especially where activists are concerned, he said: "Putting it all together, I think the system is kind of set up to where people like me, we aren't given the opportunity to provide the level of defense that we all wish that we could provide. We do our best. And we put hours upon hours, upon hours in doing the right thing and doing right by people. And I know that's kind of the counter-narrative to what people feel about public defenders in general. But, on a larger scale, as it relates to Black Lives Matter … I think what it comes back around to is that we're here to make sure that every person's story is told.And we have a system that's set up like a machine designed to process people, process cases rather, and ignore the fact that we have people who are involved. The same way, during police interactions, you're just dealing with a black person, you're not dealing with Lakeith, or Nnamdi, or Colin." Alongside Crown Heights, a rare tale of triumph over tragic injustice, Gideon’s Promise is proud that Devin shared his insights on indigent defense hinging on humanizing accused people through storytelling and advocacy.

Participant Spotlight >>> (left to right)Kathrine Racz*, Devin Franklin, and Travis Bell*

Click here to read the full press release.

Jonathan Rapping, president of Gideon's Promise, said, "This partnership is a game-changer."

Raha Jorjani kicked off this year’s Summer Sessions. Raha is the director of the Immigration Representation Project at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office in California. She gave a powerful keynote address titled “Front-Line Responders: Public Defenders and the Fight for Black Lives, Immigrants’ Rights and Meaningful Justice.” Ms. Jorjani connected the role of public defenders, who stand alongside the accused, to holding America accountable to its ideal of equal justice, saying, “Public defenders get up every morning, and out of sheer love, criticize, poke and prod America perpetually. Both because she has made promises worth keeping and her bloody past;, when it comes to the treatment of people of color, means that she cannot be trusted and must be pushed to do the right thing.” The Gideon's Promise 2017 Summer Programs were successful in empowering our public defender-driven movement to continue pushing for equal justice and advocating for vulnerable communities nationwide.

Summer Programs Recap Cont'd

Benita Jain (left) and Raha Jorjani (right) co-facilitating their workshop on representing immigrant communities

Click here to see photos and videos from previous "justice talks."

(above) Maryland Office of the Public Defender Gideon's Promise Class of 2017

*Gideon's Promise Class of 2017

To Submit Stories From the Field or Office Updates: Email the Public Relations Assistant, Kiana Jackson at kiana@gideonspromise.org.

The Orleans Defenders, one of the first Gideon’s Promise partner offices, was featured in a 60

Minutes segment called “Defenseless.”

final thoughts...

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seeking to make it fair.

101 Marietta St. NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 525-4505 www.gideonspromise.org

(left) Chief BuntonPhoto Credit: CBS News

(right) Current & Former Orleans Public Defenders Photo Credit: CBS News

Special Thanks to the Following Organizations

Chief Bunton replied, “No, no. A lawyer poorly resourced can cause irreparable harm to a client.” The role of public defenders to tell their client’s story in court and advocate for them is so critical to realizing equal justice that no public defender nor office can afford to do the work without adequate time and resources.

Keeping Families Together Campaign: November - December 2017Winter Conference: Defending the Promise: January 19-21, 2018 (Class of 2015 Graduation) Trainer Development Conference: January 17-21, 2018Gideon’s Promise Week: March 12-16, 20184th Annual Igniting Change Awards: March 16, 2018

The William Josef Foundation, Inc.

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In refusing clients, the Orleans Defenders are shouting for relief as loudly as they can, while attempting to minimize actual harm to people who are denied. Anderson Cooper asked Chief Bunton, “Isn’t having a busy public defender better than languishing in jail without any kind of attorney?”

Stephen Hanlon, general counsel for the National Association of Public Defense, had this to say about public defenders and their work, “They have people’s lives in their hands. They have people’s liberty in their hands. They have their whole future in their hands.” The weight of representation that public defenders carry deserves to be uplifted and supported by everyone who cares about realizing equal justice.

The Orleans Defender Chief, Derwyn Bunton, and his office made headlines this year when they formally decided to begin refusing cases they did not have the capacity to counsel. The decision to deny accused people their constitutional right to counsel was not taken lightly by Chief Bunton nor the public defenders in his office. The decision was made because the Orleans Defenders office is already so under-resourced, that the attorneys manage literally impossible workloads and must deny some clients their constitutional right to counsel.

In an area where the incarceration rate is among the highest in the world, how do defense attorneys provide quality representation to everyone? On April 16, 2017, CBS aired an episode of 60 Minutes during which correspondent Anderson Cooper delved into the plight facing the Orleans Defenders in New Orleans, LA, and what that means for the clients who depend on them, in a segment titled “Defenseless.”

Click here to read the full article on

CBSnews.com.