Edwin Meese III
The discussions lapsed during the Bush administration, as it dealt with events of 9/11 and reconstituted the Justice Department to counter terrorist threats. Holder, like Reno and Meese, has been gregarious in his first months in office, addressing groups of all kinds — from federal judges to corporate defense lawyers to public defenders.
In remarks at the American Council of Chief Defenders Conference, Holder said he wanted to pick up where Meese and Reno left off:
During these meetings, I want to discuss topical issues of interest and concern to you and to explore how we can find the resources necessary to address the challenges that have been identified. This will be a chance for public defense representatives to give us their feedback on how well our criminal justice system works.
Holder’s talk, at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown, painted a bleak picture of the state of indigent defense. He spoke of contract attorneys and assigned lawyers who don’t receive enough compensation to cover their overhead, of overwhelming caseloads that prevent lawyers from fulfilling their legal and ethical responsibilities to their clients, and of budget shortfalls in the public defense system.
In addition to more dialogue, the department, he said, would expand its collection of data on public defense programs and host a national conference to develop best practices and to strategize on how to get more funding for a system that has been walloped by the financial crisis.
“As you can tell, this is an ambitious agenda – that’s because there is a lot that can be done,” Holder said. “Putting together the conference and achieving its goals will require help from people like you, who are in the trenches of indigent defense.”
For a copy of Holder’s full remarks, click here.
