Orleans Public Defenders

Who We Are

Upcoming OPD and Court Closures

: News; 23 November 2021

While OPD offices remain closed to the general public because of COVID-19 concerns, OPD operations will be closed for the following upcoming holidays:

OPD Honors 2020 New Orleans City Council for Funding Parity Ordinance

: News; 04 November 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2021

OPD HONORS 2020 NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL WITH CLYDE MERRITT AWARD FOR HISTORIC FUNDING PARITY ORDINANCE

Annual Award Honors Commitment and Advocacy for Equal Justice in New Orleans

New Orleans – Today, the Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) honored the entire 2020 City Council with the annual Clyde Merritt Award for the historic parity ordinance unanimously passed into law in August of 2020. The Funding Parity for Public Defense ordinance mandated that 85% of the city budget appropriation allocated to the District Attorney be given to OPD. It was a giant leap forward toward equity and justice in New Orleans. By creating parity in funding between public defense and the district attorney, New Orleans boldly declared that all New Orleanians’ in the justice system are valued, not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Demario Davis: Public defenders' funding is another huge step toward a better city

: News; 02 November 2021

New Orleans Saints linebacker and Players Coalition Task Force member Demario Davis recently wrote an op-ed in The Advocate on the impact and importance of funding parity for public defense.

Two years ago, I hosted a town hall with Players Coalition and more than 100 community members to discuss the importance of equitably funding the district attorney and public defenders. Among many issues we discussed, the largest takeaways were how public defenders are the backstop to the powerful criminal legal system, and how fully and equitably funding the Orleans Public Defenders Office was vital to protecting the innocent and addressing the many ills of mass incarceration.

Despite our city’s recent progress in other areas, two levels of justice remain: one for the wealthy and another for low-income citizens.

OPD Co-Hosts A Conversation with Kristin Henning

: News; 02 November 2021

OPD invites you to join us next week for an important discussion with author Kristin Henning about her new book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Co-hosted with the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights and the Innocence Project of New Orleans, the virtual even is free and open to the public.

BREAKING: New Orleans Commits to Equity with First Parity Budget for Public Defense

: News; 28 October 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 28, 2021

MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL PROPOSES HISTORIC BUDGET ESTABLISHING FUNDING PARITY FOR ORLEANS PUBLIC DEFENDERS
2022 Budget Fully Enacts Funding Parity Ordinance of 2021; New Orleans Now Leader in Equity, Fairness in Criminal Legal System

New Orleans, LA – Yesterday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell sought to maintain New Orleans as a national leader in criminal legal system reform by establishing funding parity between the Orleans Public Defenders Office (OPD) and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office in her proposed 2022 city budget. The Mayor proposed an historic appropriation of $5,960,195, calling it a “priority and critical initiative.” The appropriation follows the Funding Parity for Public Defense Ordinance unanimously approved last year by the New Orleans City Council. The ordinance mandates 85% of the city budget appropriation allocated to the District Attorney be given to OPD. By reducing the funding gap between public defense and prosecution, the parity appropriation increases OPD’s ability to ethically, professionally, and constitutionally represent the almost 20,000 cases appointed each year. It begins to level the playing field for the disproportionately low-income, Black and Brown people navigating the justice system.

The Lens: Orleans sheriff’s office criticized for allowing ‘gritty reality series’ to film inside jail

: News; 27 September 2021

Civil rights attorneys representing people incarcerated in the New Orleans jail say that they were misled by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office regarding a Netflix reality show that was filmed at the facility and is set to air later this month.

The attorneys, who are part of a longstanding federal consent decree — meant to improve conditions at the jail and bring it into compliance with the U.S. Constitution — claim Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s office twice informed them that the show had been “shut down and terminated” after they raised concerns about it last year.

But the show, “Jailbirds: New Orleans,” which features female detainees incarcerated in the Orleans Justice Center, is set to come out on Sept. 24.