Public Defenseless

On this episode, Hunter is joined by Karl Fenske, a long time Los Angeles County Public Defender and lead steward for Local 148. On this episode, Hunter and Karl discuss the union's take on the newest workload study of the Los Angeles Public Defender Office.
Guest:
Karl Fenske, Lead Steward, Los Angeles County Public Defenders Union, Local 148 and  Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender
Resource:
Read the Report Here
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA5011-1.html
 
Learn More About the Union Here
https://local148.org/
https://www.facebook.com/LApubdefunion
https://x.com/LApubdefunion
https://bsky.app/profile/lapubdefunion.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/lapubdefunion
 
Public Defenseless Links and Contact

Get each new episode a day early on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Search past episode transcripts:
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home 
Follow and support the show, plus all our links:
https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast 
Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com 
Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
DISCLAIMER:  Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.

On this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Diane Lozano, the former Chief Public Defender for the State of Wyoming and current Executive Director of Full Picture Justice. In her new role, Diane is focused on helping defenders prepare for capital cases with the hope of abolishing the death penalty around the country.
Guest:
Diane Lozano, Executive Director, Full Picture Justice
Resource:
Learn More Here:
https://www.fullpicturejustice.org/
 
Public Defenseless Links and Contact

Get each new episode a day early on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Search past episode transcripts:
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home 
Follow and support the show, plus all our links:
https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast 
Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com 
Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com 


DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.

On this episode, Hunter is joined once again by Ricardo García and for the first time, Traci Blackburn. On September 10th, 2026, a new workload study of the Los Angeles Public Defender was published by RAND. Ricardo and Traci joined the show to discuss the findings of the study and how leadership plans on using the study to get more funding for the office.
Guest:
Ricardo García, Los Angeles County Public Defender
Traci Blackburn, Assistant Public Defender, Los Angeles County Public Defender
Resource:
Read the Report Here
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA5011-1.html
Learn More About the Office Here
https://pubdef.lacounty.gov/
https://www.instagram.com/lapubdef/
https://www.facebook.com/LACOUNTYPD/
https://x.com/lapubdef
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lapubdef/home/
Public Defenseless Links and Contact

Get each new episode a day early on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Search past episode transcripts:
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home 
Follow and support the show, plus all our links:
https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast 
Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com 
Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.

On this episode, Hunter welcomes back Richard Mauro, executive director of the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. Richard explains how his office built Project Rio, a program that connects people experiencing homelessness with services instead of jail. Richard and Hunter also dig into how state-level criminal justice policy is piling workload pressure onto public defenders, and why that pressure may not be sustainable.
Guest:
Richard Mauro, Executive Director, Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, Utah
Resource:
Contact the Office Here:
https://www.sllda.com/


Public Defenseless Links and Contact

Get each new episode a day early on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Search past episode transcripts:
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home 
Follow and support the show, plus all our links:
https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast 
Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com 
Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com 

DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.

On this episode, Hunter speaks with Kelly Driscoll. As the Bureau Chief for the Family Defense Unit of the Montana Public Defender, Kelly is responsible for overseeing the defense of parents and kids in the family legal system. She joins the show to explain how Montana set up this system and why it is so important for Public Defenders to do more than just criminal defense.
 
Guest:
Kelly Driscoll, Family Defense Bureau Chief, Montana State Public Defender
Resource:
Learn More About the Office Here:
https://publicdefender.mt.gov/
Case Law on the right to counsel in Family Court in Montana

https://civilrighttocounsel.org/major_developments/montana-parents-have-constitutional-right-to-counsel-in-adoptions-says-high-court/
https://civilrighttocounsel.org/uploaded_files/183/4_AWS_Opinion_published.pdf
https://www.leagle.com/decision/1993979852p2d1271976
 
 
Public Defenseless Links and Contact

Get each new episode a day early on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Search past episode transcripts:
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home 
Follow and support the show, plus all our links:
https://linktr.ee/pdefenselesspodcast 
Website: https://www.publicdefenseless.com 
Contact the show: publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
 
DISCLAIMER: Hunter Parnell hosts Public Defenseless in his personal capacity. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the Aurora Municipal Public Defender or any guest's employer. Nothing on this show is legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are facing criminal charges, talk to a lawyer.