U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 17, 2009 to highlight the work and priorities of the Department of Justice.  Included in this testimony was his statement that “The right to counsel is also an essential element of an effective and fair criminal justice system. The Department is concerned about the quality and availability of defense counsel for indigents, especially in this difficult economic time, and has begun to study proposals for improvement.” 

Mr. Holder is meeting with representatives from the NLADA in the upcoming week and we can hope that he plans to implement this message by continuing to support the rights of the indigent and their defenders.