Eric is back from his PD flurry of work, so Bobbin and Eric kick it and catch up on the past two weeks in news to talk the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and…choose not to weigh in on the Oscars. Eric and Bobbin continue the conversation on public defense backlog and crisis, while talking about pay gaps and disparities in the legal system. Eric talks conservative attorney Ginni Thomas and justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas. Bobbin and Eric discuss if Oregon is indeed a progressive state (conclusion: we can do better.), where we can make change, and why sentencing reform is so important.

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

As Eric attends to public defense duties, Bobbin is joined by Youth Justice Project Director & Managing Attorney Gabe Newland to talk about youth justice in Oregon. Bobbin and Gabe catch up on this week’s news with the Supreme Court nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, Ted Cruz’s buffoonery, and the theater of fear & anger politics. Gabe dives into talking about the adultification of youth in the criminal justice system and how prosecuting children as adults is a cruel practice, and why at the very least, we need to set a minimum age for juvenile prosecution. Gabe and Bobbin discuss SB1008 on Measure 11 cases for youth, Governor Brown’s commutations, and why brain science supports the abolition of the juvenile system.

Produced by Beatrix Li, Communications & Policy Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Our cohost Eric was not able to join us for today’s podcast episode, but tune in for a spirited conversation between Bobbin and Franz Bruggemeier, Associate Director of the Civil Rights Project. This week in news, we discuss the indictment of the former Coffee Creek Women’s Prison nurse for sexual assault and political prisoner Eric King’s case. Franz and Bobbin look back at the nightly police violence during the protests for racial justice after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Franz recalls the teargas, impact munitions, and how PPB violated basic civil rights of protestors and how all that led to the class action lawsuit against PPB on behalf of Don't Shoot Portland (OJRC is co-counsel on the case). Bobbin and Franz unpack the teargas bill HB4008/HB4131, and why legislators are complicit in normalizing police violence and how their actions work against protecting civil rights. Tear gas is banned in war by international law, but it is something PPB, the City of Portland, and the Oregon State Legislature feel is appropriate to use against Oregonians.

Produced by Beatrix Li, Policy & Communications Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week in news, Bobbin & Eric debrief the Legislative Short session, the failure of ODOC to protect women at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility from sexual abuse, and The Who-Cares-If-You’re-Innocent-Project article that discusses federal judicial nominations/appointments and nominees who have backgrounds as public defenders or working on wrongful convictions...and, one political party is blaming an innocence attorney for the rise in crime rights! Bobbin and Eric re-introduce Post-Conviction Review and State Habeas Corpus, discussing what they are and how, in theory, they provide a check on state actors.

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Juan Chavez was not able to join us this week, but we will hear from our Civil Rights Associate Director, Franz Bruggemeier next week to talk about teargas and the lack of accountability in the Portland police.

Produced by Beatrix Li, OJRC Policy & Communications Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week, Bobbin and Eric host DA Matt Ellis (Wasco County) and DA John Hummel (Deschutes County) to talk about what DA’s do, what it’s like to navigate the criminal justice system as a progressive DA, and what makes district attorneys some of the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. Matt and John unpack ODAA’s bad polling done on community perceptions of crime and why tough-on-crime policies and rulings are not the solutions to community well-being.

Next week, Eric and Bobbin will host Juan Chavez, Project Director of OJRC’s Civil Rights Project to discuss COVID-19 conditions and litigation in Oregon’s prisons.

Produced by Beatrix Li, OJRC Policy & Communications Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

 Catch up with Bobbin and Eric on the week in news around the Normandale Park shooting and the City of Portland's failure to protect protestors for racial justice, how Colin Kaepernick launched an initiative for free autopsies to families who lost loved ones to police violence. Eric and Bobbin also discuss the importance of public defenders as a check on police misconduct. Our guest Athul Acharya, Executive Director of Public Accountability, joins us to discuss his work challenging legal doctrines in federal court that prevent public officials from being held accountable, such as Qualified Immunity.

Next week, Eric and Bobbin will host DA Matt Ellis and DA John Hummel (the conversation about solitary confinement will be pushed to later).

Produced by Beatrix Li, OJRC Communications & Policy Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week in news, Bobbin and Eric discuss what the heck is going on with public defense in Oregon. Alice Lundell, Director of Communication at Oregon Justice Resource Center joins us as our guest to unpack how the media reports on crime, to take a look back on the tough-on-crime backlash after the protests for George Floyd, and discuss how Portland became a national lightning rod for fear-mongering news reporting of what happens when we "defunded" the police (which we didn't.)

Produced by Beatrix Li,  Communications and Policy Associate, OJRC

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

We are back! After a year off, Bobbin and Eric return with their podcast to discuss criminal justice, public defense, and civil rights. In this episode they talk about the past year and hopes for the podcast moving forward. 

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week in news, Bobbin and Eric discuss the recent Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Federal Judge Beckerman compelling the State of Oregon to provide vaccines to all Adults in Custody in Oregon prisons and a recent news segment on Koin 6 featuring pro-carceral, anti-racial justice public officials such as John Foote, which prompted the question: are John Foote, ODAA and other pro carceral, anti-racial justice public officials relevant in today's world? Answer: Not really. 

Bobbin and Eric return to their conversation about sentencing, focusing on reforms passed in 2019: SB 1008 (juvenile justice), SB 1013 (death penalty).

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Bobbin and Eric are back after a month off! This week's episode is a bit more informal as they discuss COVID and the prisons and the events of January 6th.  Next week, they will return to their conversation about sentencing in Oregon and what opportunities exist in the upcoming legislative session for change!! 

*There were some technical issues with the sound while recording. 

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.