NACDL & NFCJ 2025 Impact Report - Building a Community of Justice
BUILDING A COMMUNITY FOR JUSTICE NACDL & NACDL FOUNDATION FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2025 IMPACT REPORT
Defending Rights. Restoring Lives. Advancing Justice.
The NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice (NFCJ) is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to preserving and promoting the core constitutional values that define a free society — among them due process, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, fair sentencing, and the right to effective assistance of counsel. By educating the public and the legal profession about these fundamental rights, the NFCJ supports the work of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) — the preeminent bar association assuring justice for all people accused of crime or wrongdoing. With over 10,000 direct members across 28 countries and 90 state and local affiliate organizations representing up to 40,000 attorneys, NACDL conducts trainings, advocates before legislators, litigates constitutional issues, and fights every day to protect the rights of the accused. This report highlights key activities made possible by contributions and grants to the NFCJ and income directly to NACDL’s work including federal grants, contracts, programs, products, and membership.
For more information, visit: NFCJ.org/About or NACDL.org
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A Year of Challenge — and Action
In 2025, criminal defense lawyers faced new and intensifying pressures. NACDL and the NFCJ rose to meet them — sharing resources, training the defense bar on rapidly evolving issues, and standing firm for the values of the profession. Through advocacy, education, and bold leadership, we equipped defenders to meet the moment while building a stronger, lasting community.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Fighting for Freedom
NACDL’s Return to Freedom Projects fight for people trapped in unjust sentences — providing direct representation and mobilizing pro bono volunteers to win clemency and compassionate release. The result: lives reclaimed, families reunited, communities restored.
First Step Act Resource Center ₪
Published the First Step Act Earned Time Credit String Cites Practice Advisory , collecting favorable case law on common earned time credit issues for use in habeas petitions against the Bureau of Prisons.
The First Step Act expanded compassionate release and created a system for some incarcerated individuals to earn time credits toward early release for participating in rehabilitative programming. NACDL’s First Step Act Resource Center, a Return to Freedom Project, helps defenders make use of these provisions to obtain compassionate release or early release for their clients.
₪ Reviewed over 2,500 opinions regarding compassionate release and earned time credits.
₪ Fielded inquiries on First Step Act-related questions from over 80 practitioners .
₪ Participated in 7 trainings regarding First Step Act-related topics.
₪ Updated the First Step Act sections of the NACDL website with current information and resources.
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Since the Return to Freedom Projects began:
Over 300 individuals freed from incarceration, including 6 individuals in 2025 303 sentence reduction motions won 42 life sentences commuted to freedom 1,980 years of excessive incarceration eliminated 2,450 volunteer lawyers committed to the work 10,000+ assistance requests processed
NFCJ.org/Support
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Restoring Lives Through Second Chances We change lives and restore communities. Through expungement clinics in Washington, D.C. , Cumberland, Maryland , and Newark, New Jersey , NACDL helped more than 60 people clear their records — opening doors to employment, housing, and new beginnings.
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Advocacy That Drives Change We mobilize stakeholders and amplify the legislative voice for change. NACDL’s advocacy team mobilized members across the country to push for meaningful reform in Congress and statehouses nationwide.*
₪ Submitted formal comments to federal agencies and coordinated letters to Congress and state legislatures.
Conducted advocacy on 29 legislative measures , including appropriations for Federal
Defender Services, the HALT Fentanyl Act, the SAVE Act, DC Youth and Public Safety, and DC Cash Bail and Policing Reform
1,576 constituent letters sent to Congress on criminal legal reform
*Please note, no foundation or government funding is used to support lobbying efforts.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Legal Action With Lasting Impact We fight for case law that justice demands.
NACDL’s amicus program draws on the deep expertise of the criminal defense bar and the firepower of Big Law partners to deliver compelling, consequential arguments in state and federal courts across the country. 35 amicus briefs filed in 2025. Notable victories include:
In a unanimous 9-0 ruling on January 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court curbed the
government’s ability to trap individuals in a permanent cycle of debt. In Ellingburg v. United States (No. 24-482), the Court ruled that federal restitution is “plainly criminal punishment.” NACDL’s amicus brief argued that criminal restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is penal for purposes of the Ex Post Facto Clause of the Constitution. NACDL filed an amicus brief in Ellingburg v. United States in June 2025
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Empowering Defenders We empower defenders to fight more effectively for the people they serve. In 2025, the NFCJ helped support an expansive training effort for defenders across the country. CLE Institute
In-person Seminar
₪ Offered 18 in-person and virtual live events, in 6 states and Washington, D.C.; Trained over 4,100 lawyers . Capital Case Litigation Initiative When federal funding for capital defense training disappears, lives hang in the balance. The NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice refuses to let those cuts determine who lives and who dies. Despite the loss of critical funding, the NFCJ stands firm in its commitment to supporting capital litigation in the communities least equipped to fight back — even as states escalate their pursuit of the death penalty. ₪ Provided approximately 49.5 hours of specialized training and support — including one Bring Your Own Case training and two in-office sessions — despite the termination of federal funding for these programs in April 2025.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Public Defense Programming ₪
Partnered with the National Association for Public Defense, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the National Center for State Courts to host webinars on critical public defense topics, with over 5,000 people registered. ₪ Shared field resources on competency to stand trial and misdemeanor court processing.
The Law Offices of the Public Defender, Miami-Dade County and Law Offices of the Public Defender, Broward County during the Fourth Amendment Center’s full-day training as part of the Public Defender Tech Training Program. Free Interactive Webinars ₪ 14 practice-oriented sessions on topics including federal evidentiary rules, AI and surveillance, criminal law, voting rights, and data use in white collar cases.
NACDL.org/Content/Defenselessness-Webinar
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Revealing Prosecutorial Overreach We put resources in the hands of defenders on the frontlines of the fight against federal overreach.
Since January 2025, federal criminal enforcement has changed in ways that demand vigilance. NACDL responded with the Criminal Case Tracker — a powerful, searchable database that exposes abnormal prosecutions, arms defense attorneys with key filings and rulings, and helps lawyers, journalists, and policymakers track troubling enforcement trends in real time.
Left: Rachel Maddow interviewed project lead Steven Salky for MSNOW.
Criminal Case Tracker Observations on Year One
Steven M. Salky April 14, 2026
₪ Volunteer curators have reviewed over 450 cases and identified 112 unusual cases which have been posted to the website. ₪ Over 1,100 briefs, motions, and other case files have been posted. ₪ Project pages have been viewed over 40,000 times since launch in January.
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The first project report was accessed over 200 times in the first week of release.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Safeguarding the Fourth Amendment We safeguard the Fourth Amendment in the face of growing surveillance. NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center is at the forefront of protecting privacy rights in an era of Artificial Intelligence and rapidly expanding surveillance technology. As surveillance technology proliferates at an unprecedented pace, NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center arms defense lawyers with the litigation support, education, and training they need to confront invasive technology head-on and safeguard their clients’ constitutional rights.
Trained more than 1,500 defenders on emerging technology and privacy issues 90 litigation assistance requests across 26 states 3 templates for public records request letters Produced 2 primers with guidance for defenders on protecting digital devices at the border and compelled decryption
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Co-counsel on strategic litigation through NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center on critical cases involving tech , privacy and constitutional rights , and access to counsel
₪ Launched the second round of the Public Defender Tech Training Program, serving 5 offices and 300+ defense lawyers across 4 states.
Public Defender Training “Defending Drug Overdose Homicides” at Marquette University in Wisconsin.
Fourth Amendment Center staff and liaisons from Travis County Public Defender’s Office.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Combating Overcriminalization We are at the forefront of the fight against mass incarceration. NACDL combats the criminalization of reproductive health, voting, and gender expression and identity, and stands against the misuse of the criminal legal system to target vulnerable communities.
NACDL Executive Director Lisa M. Wayne addresses attendees at the Pregnancy Criminalization Playbook: Maternal Healthcare on Trial summit on Dec. 5, 2025.
As state actors increasingly frame pregnancy outcomes as matters of criminal intent, defense attorneys are tasked with challenging these prosecutions in a legal landscape where medical science is often distorted, evidentiary standards are unevenly applied, and outdated forensic tools are still admissible. NACDL equips defenders to counteract prosecutorial overreach, ensure access to medical expertise, and advocate for systemic reform. NACDL supports lawyers defending cases — ranging from child endangerment to homicide — brought against individuals for conduct related to pregnancy outcomes.
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In 2025, NACDL:
Hosted 9 high-impact trainings , including 2 intensives , reaching
in-person, skills-based
581
registrants nationwide on healthcare decriminalization advocacy and advanced litigation strategy. These programs convened many of the nation’s leading decriminalization advocates alongside seasoned defense practitioners, and featured hands-on instruction with forensic experts, as well as targeted training in cross-examination and jury selection tailored to complex, pregnancy-related prosecutions NACDL’s Board of Directors passed a resolution defending the fundamental rights and human dignity of transgender individuals, signaling a unified challenge to the federal government’s escalating use of the carceral system to target marginalized communities.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Guarding Against Criminalization of Voting Rights
Conducted 2 trainings on voting criminalization, covering state and federal legislation and litigation best practices for 147 registrants
₪ NACDL’s Criminalization of Voting Rights Committee engaged a cohort of undergraduate interns from UCLA to research and draft papers examining the historical and contemporary intersections of voter fraud prosecutions and felon disenfranchisement in Texas, California, Tennessee, and Florida. This initiative produced a body of scholarship designed to inform state legislative advocacy litigation strategy, and public discourse surrounding the criminalization of the franchise.
₪ NACDL and our volunteers have built a network of attorneys ready to assist those facing voter fraud charges.
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Exposing Misconduct, Championing Transparency We equip defenders with tools to fight police misconduct.
NACDL was integral to the Police Records Access Project ( https://clean.latimes.com/) , a new database that makes public records of use of force and misconduct by California law enforcement officers. This searchable database includes records from nearly 12,000 cases. This tool expands public access to internal affairs records that disclose how law enforcement agencies throughout the state handle misconduct allegations as well as uses of police force that result in death or severe injury. NACDL continues to work on this project with the UC Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP), the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), ACLU of Southern California, the Innocence Project, Stanford University’s Big Local News, and other partners.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Lawyers’ Assistance Strike Force We stand up for our members in the face of intimidation.
When lawyers are targeted for doing their jobs, we fight back . NACDL’s Lawyers’ Assistance Strike Force defends members facing contempt threats, judicial sanctions, disqualification attempts, and subpoenas designed to strip attorney-client privilege — because protecting defense lawyers means protecting every client they serve.
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Championing the Right to Trial
NACDL’s fight to end the trial penalty is producing real results. In 2025, three landmark rulings found trial penalty sentences unconstitutional or unfair. Two cases — United States v. Cannon and People v. Brisman — reduced harsh sentences and expanded compassionate release for those subjected to coercive plea deals. A third, United States v. Tavberidze , went further, ruling that sentencing rules rewarding only those who plead guilty unconstitutionally punish the right to trial.
Over 97% of criminal cases end in guilty pleas because our legal system routinely and systematically coerces individuals to plead guilty by threatening much more severe prison sentences if they choose to take their cases to trial instead. This is called the Trial Penalty.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Building Community Within the Profession Our resources help defenders tackle complex issues in their fight for the accused.
Mentor for a Moment Program 71 NACDL members raised their hands to guide the next generation. Through the Mentor for a Moment Program, experienced defense lawyers connect one-on-one with peers to sharpen professional skills, elevate client representation, and strengthen the defense bar from within. Starting Your Own Practice Resources Going solo doesn’t mean going it alone. NACDL’s exclusive resources and practitioner-led panel discussions give solo and small-firm lawyers the real-world guidance they need — straight from experienced defense attorneys who’ve been there. Victory Form & Badge of Victory A platform for members to share their legal triumphs, inspire peers, and receive recognition through NACDL’s Badge of Victory — displayed in member directory profiles.
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Fostering the Future of the Defense Bar We are cultivating future leaders from undergraduate programs to law schools across the nation.
Not Pictured:
₪ Isa Berardo
₪ Ernesto Casillas
₪ Lovely Olivier
Kaitlyn Dehais
Vanessa Aponte
5 Fellowships placed law students with leading defender offices and firms, developing the next generation of criminal defense leaders
NFCJ.org/Support
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Unifying Stakeholders to Strengthening Local Reforms ₪
24th NACDL State Criminal Justice Network Conference: 305 attendees — including advocates, media experts, and legal professionals — gathered to strategize on legislative solutions to the field’s most pressing challenges.
₪ 2025 Justice Reform Lobby Day: Hosted a lobby day in Richmond, Virginia, along with Justice Forward Virginia and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and met with 35 state legislators on key criminal justice reform priorities. NACDL’s state advocacy team returned to the Capitol for a lobby day in February, meeting with 20 additional legislators to help push critical reforms across the finish line. ₪ Successfully fought against harmful discovery reforms in New York, protecting fairness and accountability in the criminal legal system. In 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and several district attorneys sought to roll back key provisions of Kalief’s Law, 2020 discovery reforms that helped reduce pretrial detention, prevent wrongful convictions, and increase public trust in the courts. The legislature protected the core components of Kalief’s Law despite sustained pressure for rollbacks.
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From Research to Reform Our research sheds light on critical defense challenges. In 2025, NACDL released key reports shedding light on critical challenges in the criminal legal system:
EMPTY POCKETS AND EMPTY PROMISES: How Federal Restitution Law Fails Everyone
Cortney E. Lollar
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Empty Pockets and Empty Promises: How Federal Restitution Law Fails Everyone — Recommendations on reforms to ensure restitution better compensates victims and avoids over-punishing defendants. Read the report: NACDL.org/RestitutionReport
VIRGINIA EARLY REPRESENTATION MANUAL
₪ Virginia Early Representation Manual — A practical guide supporting public defense lawyers in Virginia in delivering zealous, effective early representation. NACDL.org/Document/VirginiaEarlyRepresentationManual
THE IMPACT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT PAYMENT DELAYS A Report from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
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The Impact of Criminal Justice Act Payment Delays —Stories from over 200 CJA panel members to raise awareness of the real-world impacts of the federal public defense funding shortfall. Read the report: NACDL.org/CJAPaymentDelayReport
THE IMPACT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT PAYMENT DELAYS
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On July 3, the government ran out of money to pay CJA Panel members for their work. Earlier in the year, Congress approved an FY25 spending bill that froze funding for the judicial branch at 2024 levels, leaving hundreds unpaid. Congress passed a continuing funding resolution on November 12 and ended the payment deferrals. To prevent FY26 shortfalls, NACDL, in coordination with the federal defenders, organized a sign-on letter urging full funding that was joined by 45 national and state groups, including two dozen state affiliates. The final funding bill included a 22% increase over earlier proposals.
NFCJ.org/Support
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Amplifying Our Message — We inform, influence, and inspire
Featured in 130+ media stories in outlets including The New York Times , Washington Post , Wall Street Journal , AP News , and Law360 NACDL.org/Landing/News-Releases
Reached 316,000+ social media followers with reform-driven content
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Supporting the Cause These events fund critical work and celebrate the power of justice.
The NFCJ hosted 3 signature fundraising events in 2025. Events such as these provide critical unrestricted support that enables NACDL to meet the demands of a constantly evolving environment:
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“The Music of Prince” — a fundraising concert featuring members of the New Power Generation with special guest Brownmark from the Revolution. BBQ, Bluegrass, and Blue Jeans in Charlotte, North Carolina — honoring outstanding defense community members David Rudolf and Elizabeth Blackwood .
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“The Music of Prince” concert
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A reception honoring Defense Attorney Abbe David Lowell in Washington, D.C. NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice Presents THE MUSIC OF PRINCE Featuring Former Members OF The New Power Generation WITH SPECIAL GUEST BROWN MARK
FROM THE REVOLUTION JULY 10
Proceeds benefit the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice. A portion of tickets and sponsorships through the Foundation will be tax-deductible. NFCJ. org /Firstave First Avenue, 701 N. 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Elizabeth Blackwood
David Rudolf
Abbe David Lowell
Photo: Jan van Hecke
NFCJ.org/Support
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Looking Forward The stakes have never been higher. Emerging technologies, an ever- growing criminal code, and persistent gaps in public defense funding test the defense bar every day. But the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice was built for moments like these — to defend constitutional rights, lift up the lawyers and partners who champion them, and demand a justice system that is fair, humane, and honest about what justice truly requires.
You make that fight possible. Thank you. For more information, visit NACDL.org or NFCJ.org/About .
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NACDL & NFCJ Financials
On behalf of NACDL and the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice, thank you! We are deeply grateful to our donors, members, partners, and everyone who supports our mission — whether through financial contributions, pro bono assistance, as a member, participation in NACDL’s CLE programs, partnering with NACDL, or by purchasing our products. Your commitment makes our work possible. Together, we are advancing a more humane and just criminal legal system. The figures listed in the charts are based on Accrual Accounting standards.
NFCJ.org/Support
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WAYS TO SUPPORT
A tax-deductible donation can be made online at NFCJ.org/Support or by sending a check or money order to: NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice Attn: Development, 1660 L Street NW, 12 th Floor, Washington, DC 20036
SCAN TO GIVE
For contributions of stock , please contact Clay Braswell, cbraswell@nacdl.org or call 202-465-7641 .
If you would like to include the NFCJ in your estate plans and make a legacy gift , make sure to use the Employer Identification Number (EIN) 52-2289169 .
Are you an NACDL Life Member? Through a gift of $1,000 or more, you can become part of the NFCJ Defenders Circle — an elite group of NACDL Life Members who are deeply committed to advancing justice and excellence within the criminal defense bar. Learn more at NFCJ.org/Defender
NFCJ.org/Support
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