Holder: Right to Counsel Is an Essential Element of an Effective and Fair Criminal Justice System
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.
