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OPD's Alexis Chernow and Cheri Deatsch Named 2026 CityBusiness Leadership in Law Honorees
New Orleans, LA – The Orleans Public Defenders are proud to announce that Alexis Chernow and Cheri Deatsch have been named recipients of the 2026 CityBusiness Leadership in Law Award. The sole court-appointed honorees, Chernow and Deatsch are among 50 New Orleans legal professionals recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to the community.
Alexis Chernow has been a dedicated member of OPD since 2014. Throughout her career, from Staff Attorney to Deputy Chief Defender, she has zealously represented her clients and fought for a fairer, more just New Orleans. A passionate and commanding courtroom advocate, Chernow is deeply committed to protecting the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
Cheri Deatsch brings more than 30 years of legal experience and a career-long commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of her clients. As Supervising Attorney of OPD’s Juvenile Division, she is a steadfast advocate for children and families, leading with compassion, integrity, and determination. Her mentorship and advocacy have shaped countless lives and inspired generations of public defenders.
Leadership in Law honors court-associated attorneys, in-house counsel, and firm-associated attorneys. The 2026 class will be recognized October 5 at the New Orleans Museum of Art and featured in a special issue of New Orleans CityBusiness.
Letters: Police work is only part of making city safer. Getting people’s needs met also helps.
The recent editorial, "Historic drop in New Orleans crime is worth celebrating," rightly celebrates our city's progress in reducing crime. However, it overlooks an important part of the story: Public safety is about more than policing.
To be sure, New Orleans' declining crime rate is a victory for the people who call this city home, for our families, friends, neighbors and communities. It is rooted more than anything in the fact that we, as a city, have more stable, healthy lives.
OPD FY27 Budget Certification
The Orleans Public Defenders certifies the completion of the fiscal year 2027 budget. For budget details, please contact Chief Administrative Officer Dannielle Berger at .
OPD FY27 Budget Public Notice
The Orleans Public Defenders will hold a public hearing on the FY 2027 proposed budget.
June 10, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.
OPD Conference Room
2601 Tulane Avenue, Suite 700
The proposed budget will be posted on the OPD website and available for public inspection June 9 - 11, 2026.
2025 Impact Report
Transforming Public Defense in New Orleans
Since Hurricane Katrina, public defense in New Orleans has undergone a profound transformation. What emerged from the storm was not only a rebuilding of physical infrastructure, but a reimagining of how constitutional defense could and should operate in a city shaped by deep inequities, mass incarceration, and community trauma. Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) was created in this context and has since evolved into a nationally recognized client-centered public defense.
This report situates OPD’s work in 2025 within the broader arc of growth and change since Katrina, highlighting how far public defense has come, and the systemic pressures that continue to define the work today.
Public Defense Before and After Katrina
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, public defense in New Orleans was fragmented, under-resourced, and heavily reliant on court-appointed private attorneys paid per case. This structure incentivized speed over quality, offered little oversight, and provided minimal investigative or social service support to clients. Defendants routinely faced excessive delays, limited attorney contact, and inadequate advocacy.
Hurricane Katrina exposed and exacerbated these failures. Court closures, lost files, mass displacement, and prolonged pretrial detention underscored the constitutional crisis facing indigent defense in Orleans Parish. In the years that followed, litigation, community advocacy, and national attention created momentum for reform.
The establishment of Orleans Public Defenders marked a decisive shift, from a fragmented appointment system to a unified, institutional public defense office grounded in professional standards, ethical obligations, and accountability.
In the years that followed, litigation, advocacy, and national attention led to the creation of a unified public defender office grounded in professional standards, accountability, and full-time representation.
OPD and BJ’S Lounge Join National Concerts for Indigent Defense Saturday, March 28 with Luke Allen and the Happy Talk Band and The Bottoms
Concert Celebrates the Landmark 1963 SCOTUS Ruling with Shows Across the Country to Support the Right to Counsel and Continue the Fight for Fair and Equitable Criminal Legal System
New Orleans –The Orleans Public Defenders, BJ’s Lounge and Luke Allen and the Happy Talk Band will join forces to bring the national Concerts for Indigent Defense to New Orleans on March 28, 2026. The event celebrates Gideon Day, the anniversary of the landmark 1963 United States Supreme Court’s ruling that enshrined the Right to Counsel and OPD’s continued fight for a fair, just and equitable criminal legal system. The New Orleans show joins other shows in Houston, Denver, and Santa Fe, NM.
March 18th marks the 63rd anniversary of the constitutional Right to Counsel established by the U.S. Supreme Court. Gideon v Wainwright was a watershed moment for the criminal legal system that cemented the right for everyone to be represented by an attorney when facing a loss of liberty. Modern public defense began with Gideon and the Supreme Court ruling, yet more than 60 years later, the Right to Counsel remains unfulfilled, and even threatened, due to underfunding and disregard for the critical role of public defense. Now more than ever, the right to legal representation is paramount. Public defenders protect and fight for the rights of their clients, hold power accountable, and work to ensure their communities are equitable and just.
