Public Defender Competitors

The ACLU is an non-profit, non-partisan organization of people who believe in the power of action. We are united by the quest – “We the people dare to create a more perfect union.” Whether in the courts, statehouses, Congress or communities, we fight to defend the rights that the Constitution guarantees to all of us —regardless of who we are, where we come from, whom we love, or what we believe. Together, we take up the toughest civil rights and liberties challenges of our time. We seek to inspire those who want change to become the ones who make change.

The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an office within the Defender Association of Philadelphia, is the designated Federal Community Defender Organization for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Since its creation in 1972, the Federal Community Defender Office has been funded to render Defender Services to individuals who are unable to afford counsel and who are under investigation for, or charged with, violations of the laws of the United States, and to federal death-sentenced prisoners in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, when appointed. Upon appointment by the District Court or the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the office provides representation for individuals who have been subpoenaed to appear before investigating Grand Juries, who are named defendants in criminal complaints, or who have been indicted by a Grand Jury. The representation, once undertaken, remains throughout the pendency of the proceedings, up to and including applications for relief to the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, upon appointment, the office represents state and federal prisoners who are seeking relief by way of Habeas Corpus application in both the District Court and the Court of Appeals.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to reform, revitalize – and when necessary, defend – our country's systems of democracy and justice. At this critical moment, the Brennan Center is dedicated to protecting the rule of law and the values of Constitutional democracy. We focus on voting rights, campaign finance reform, ending mass incarceration, and preserving our liberties while also maintaining our national security. Part think tank, part advocacy group, part cutting-edge communications hub, we start with rigorous research. We craft innovative policies. And we fight for them – in Congress and the states, the courts, and in the court of public opinion.