Sixth Amendment; strengthening the sixth amendment

July-Dec.2023: On August 31, 2023, APA hosted a webinar on race-blind charging in YOLO County DA as a model policy and practice.

TTA recipients will receive training, resources, and other similar assistance to enable impacted persons to file effective complaints when attorneys and/or judges fail to uphold their ethical obligations in connection with criminal cases.

o To survey defense counsel to assess current attitudes and practices and to determine effective ways to encourage use of experts, investigators, and other support personnel.
o To examine relevant data relating to the use of investigators and experts by assigned counsel in both felony and misdemeanor cases.
o To determine whether investigators and experts are being properly used in public defender offices and managed assigned counsel programs.

On March 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court granted that criminal defendants have the right to a state-appointed attorney if they are unable to afford one themselves. This Sixth Amendment right was found to be constitutionally justified for criminal defendants through the Fourteenth Amendment. Because of this landmark decision, March 18 marks National Public Defender Day.

In October 2020, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, together with their partners Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, National Center for State Courts, and RTI International, launched the Strengthening the Sixth website (https://strengthenthesixth.org/). The website offers helpful information about the application of the Sixth Amendment along with various carefully curated resources.