Today, Hunter was joined once again by two guests from the Idaho State Public Defender System. Eric Fredericksen, State Public Defender, and Doug Nelson, Litigation Director, join the show to provide an update on the Idaho State System and to highlight a case that shows why the state wide system is better for the people of Idaho.

Guest:

Eric Fredericksen, State Public Defender, Idaho

Doug Nelson, Litigation Director, Idaho

Resource:

Learn More about the System Here

https://spd.idaho.gov/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

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@PublicDefenselessPodcast

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Hunter is joined once again by Jennifer Jennison and joining us for the first time is Sammy Provencio. After spending more than 30 years in custody, Sammy has joined the Stanislaus County Public Defender Office to help run their newest community-centred initiative, the Hub. Jennifer and Sammy join the show to share what the Hub is, what it does, and to share the power of having formerly incarcerated people work in a Public Defender Office.

Guest:

Jennifer Jennison, Chief Public Defender, Stanislaus County, California

Sammy Provencio, Client Support Specialist, Group Facilitator, Stanislaus County, California

Resource:

Learn More Here

https://www.stancounty.com/publicdefender/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVhDRWsEoYD/

https://www.facebook.com/thehubcenterforchange/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast

Twitter: @PDefenselessPod

www.publicdefenseless.com

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Hunter is joined by Ben Polk, Director of the Transformative Justice Project at New York University School of Law, Robert and Helen Bernstein Institute for Human Rights to discuss a recent law review article he authored where he conservatively estimated it would cost $28 billion to fund Public Defense nationwide.

Guest:

Ben Polk, Director, Transformative Justice Project and Research Scholar, New York University School of Law, Robert and Helen Bernstein Institute for Human Rights,

Resource:

Read the Article Here

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6359060

Ben's Faculty Page

https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/bernstein-institute/team

Contact Hunter Parnell:

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Eve Primus to discuss another excellent law review article about Public Defense. This time, Professor Primus details how delays in the appointment of counsel can and do create Constitutional violations that PDs can challenge.

Guest:

Eve Primus, Professor of Law, University of Michigan

Resource:

Read the Article Here

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6288018

Contact Eve

https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/eve-brensike-primus

MDefenders

https://michigan.law.umich.edu/mdefenders

Contact Hunter Parnell:

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined by Alena Chulick, the Co-Founder and Project Manager of Project Rehabilitate out of the Allegheny County Public Defender. Thanks to a federal grant, Project Rehabilitate has been able to keep people out of custody and kept them in the care they need to get back on their feet.

Guest:

Alena Chulick, Co-Founder and Project Manager, Project Rehabilitate, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Resource:

Project Rehabilitate

https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Public-Defender/Project-Rehabilitate

Allegheny County PD Website

https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Public-Defender\

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined by Ann Miller, Susette Billedeaux, and Josh Cahoon from the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. They joined the show to the tell the history of this office and how they've built it into a model holistic office.

Guest:

Ann Miller, Managing Attorney, Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana

Susette Billedeaux, Holistic Programming Director Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana

Josh Cahoon, Lead Case Manager Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana

Resource:

https://cskt.org/tribal-defenders-office/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

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@PublicDefenselessPodcast

Twitter

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Shira Diner. Last time she was on the show, she explained why the bar advocates in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases. This time, she joins to explain how the Legislature and Judiciary responded and what comes next for the state.

Guest:

Shira Diner, Professor of Law, Boston University

Resource:

Read the Case Here

https://statecourtreport.org/case-tracker/committee-public-counsel-services-v-middlesex-and-suffolk-county-district-courts

Updated Coverage

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2026-03-17/following-high-court-ruling-mass-bar-advocates-turn-to-lobbying-lawmakers

https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/05/defense-lawyers-sue-over-mass-law-they-say-stops-them-from-fighting-for-better-pay.html

https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/04/04/massachusetts-continues-to-address-bar-advocate-shortage-with-incentive-plan/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

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@PublicDefenselessPodcast

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined by Damon Silver Chief Defender of the Santa Clara County Public Defender. Home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County is struggling with a large budget deficit due to federal budget cuts. As such, the Public Defender Office has lost full time positions and is facing a severe workload crisis.

Guest:

Damon Silver, Chief Public Defender, Santa Clara County, California

Resource:

Read More Here

https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-public-defenders-crushed-by-caseloads/

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/san-jose-spotlight-santa-clara-county-public-22236000.php

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

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@PublicDefenselessPodcast

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@PDefenselessPod

www.publicdefenseless.com

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Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined by Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst, two Public Defender leaders from Spokane, Washington. They joined the show to explain why they decided to sue their county over the workload standards the county recently imposed.

Guest:

Colin Charbonneau, Director, Spokane County Public Defenders, Washington

Victoria Blumhorst, Director, Counsel for Defense, Spokane, Washington

Resource:

Read the Complaint Here

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j9QTRxm6VXpiZQTmvdkgY9HHwgauBt_L?usp=drive_link

Read more about the story here

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/may/11/public-defenders-sue-spokane-county-over-work-stan/

https://www.kxly.com/news/public-defenders-sue-spokane-county-over-excessive-caseloads/article_fc46807b-d0f0-4171-9533-0c5acdf2a59f.html

https://www.inlander.com/news/spokane-county-public-defenders-challenge-their-caseloads-in-court-and-at-the-bargaining-table/article_e883ca3a-4f51-4373-959c-2684f35ccf31.html

https://www.spokanecounty.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6067

https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/spokane-county-sued-public-defender-caseload-limits/293-568f4e4c-a03c-4671-a74f-d3c0fcf081ec

https://www.spokanecounty.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/6049

Contact Colin and Victoria Here

[email protected]

[email protected]

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

Instagram

@PublicDefenselessPodcast

Twitter

@PDefenselessPod

www.publicdefenseless.com

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Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Shannon Wilson and Stacey Lowe. The last time these two Public Defender Leaders in Oregon were on the show, they discussed why they were suing the Oregon Public Defense Commission. Today, they join to discuss their victory in court and what it means for Public Defense in Oregon.

*** Note for the show: After recording, editing and publishing the show, Carl McPherson, the Executive Director of The Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, responded to my request for comment with the following statement: "Regarding the current contract, our office is already using an internal workload model and believe we have ethical caseloads. So, the lawsuit is not impacting our current practice. The lawsuit will impact negotiations for our next contract (and terms) that will begin on July 1, 2027." Please keep that in mind when you listen to the episode!

Guest:

Shannon Wilson, Executive Director, Public Defender of Marion County Inc., Oregon

Stacey Lowe, Executive Director, South West Oregon Public Defender Services, Oregon

Resource:

Check out the Trial Transcript Here

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LoISTUXKRJ8lO9W7uogBRW9l3bf_1UR9?usp=drive_link

Contact Stacey and Shannon Here

https://swopds.org/

https://www.pdmarion.org/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

[email protected]

Instagram

@PublicDefenselessPodcast

Twitter

@PDefenselessPod

www.publicdefenseless.com

Subscribe to the Patreon

www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast

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Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!

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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****