2006 Fair Defense In the News
AUSTIN CHRONICLE: Earlier this month a judge found that Williamson County should stand trial on allegations that the County systematically violates the rights of poor people accused of crime. The plaintiffs in the suit brought by the Texas Fair Defense Project (TFDP) include six individuals accused of misdemeanor crimes. Although too poor to hire attorneys, the County denied some of the plaintiffs' requests for lawyers and did not allow others to ask for lawyers. Sylvia Peterson, one of the plaintiffs, has cancer and receives disability payments, but when she asked for a lawyer, the judge ignored her illness and denied her request for legal help, saying, "You look fine to me."
TEXAS LONE STAR: Diane Wilson can’t forget the women she met in the Victoria County jail earlier this year. Four of the eight women who shared her cell had never seen a lawyer even though they had been incarcerated for weeks and even months. All were charged with misdemeanors—minor charges for writing hot checks or for possession of a joint of marijuana—but convicted of nothing. One clearly disturbed woman with both asthma and hives rocked back and forth. A young African-American named Jarena wrapped herself in her blanket and cocooned in a bunk, not getting up to eat or drink.
Defenseless: TFDP Sues Williamson Co.; 6/23/2006
AUSTIN CHRONICLE: On June 12, the Austin-based Texas Fair Defense Project filed a class-action lawsuit against several Williamson County judges on behalf of three defendants charged with misdemeanor jail offenses. The plaintiffs charge that under the county's unfair judicial procedures, the constitutional right to counsel has been systematically compromised. "Defendants must fend for themselves," argues Adrian De La Rosá of the TFDP, after a yearlong observation of Williamson Co. courts in response to complaints from attorneys and the public. "This is not an aberration," De La Rosá adds, nor is it confined to one county. (The TFDP is a project of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group.)
Group sues county for denying counsel; 6/16/2006
THE DAILY TEXAN: The Texas Fair Defense Project has filed a class action lawsuit against Williamson County on behalf of three defendants facing misdemeanor charges who were denied court-appointed counsel by their judges even though they could not afford private counsel. A misdemeanor conviction can lead to jail time or loss of important rights. The Texas Fair Defense Project believes everyone should have a right to legal counsel, and advocates improving a system which they say is stripping defendants of their right to a lawyer, said Dominic Gonzalez, director of the project. "The definition of eligibility for a court-appointed lawyer is broad, and the discretion is really up to the judge," Gonzalez said. "But anyone who can't afford representation needs to have an attorney appointed.
THE EAGLE: A legal advocacy group has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Williamson County of regularly denying indigent defendants facing misdemeanor charges their right to a court-appointed attorney. The Texas Fair Defense Project filed the petition Monday on behalf of people facing misdemeanor criminal charges in the county, naming three specific defendants. The lawsuit comes after more than a year of courtroom observation by the Austin-based group, which focuses on improving poor defendants' access to legal counsel, and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a watchdog of the state's criminal justice system.
AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN: Williamson County habitually denies indigent defendants facing criminal misdemeanor charges their right to a court-appointed attorney, an Austin-based legal advocacy group contends in a class-action lawsuit filed Monday. The Texas Fair Defense Project, which focuses on improving poor defendants' access to legal counsel, filed the petition on behalf of people currently facing misdemeanor criminal charges in the county, naming three defendants specifically. All three were denied access to court-appointed attorneys, the petition says.
KTEN: A lawsuit accuses Williamson County of denying indigent defendants facing misdemeanor charges their right to a court-appointed attorney. The Texas Fair Defense Project, a legal advocacy group, filed the class-action lawsuit yesterday on behalf of people facing misdemeanor criminal charges in the county. The Fair Defense Project, along with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, observed the county courts for more than a year.