Public Defenseless

On this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Professor Eric Fish about a law review article he published about our immigration system. Since it was implemented in 1996, expedited removal has become the number one tool for deportations in America. However, Eric is here to explain how the whole system might be unconstitutional and ripe for challenge.
 
Guest:
Eric Fish, Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law
 
Resource:
Read Eric's Article Here
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6568060
 
Contact Eric
https://law.ucdavis.edu/people/eric-fish

Show note: Hunter mentions a U.S. citizen deported to Mexico after agents refused to let him get his birth certificate. That's Brian José Morales García, born in Denver and deported in April 2026 after a traffic stop in Texas. He returned to the United States on Aug. 30, 2026, after the federal government reached an agreement with his lawyers in his lawsuit. Read the Texas Tribune's reporting:
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/23/texas-united-states-citizen-deported-ice-detention-brian-morales/
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/30/texas-us-citizen-deported-central-texas-returns-america/


Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast 
YouTube: @publicdefenselesspodcast 
Facebook: Public Defenseless Podcast 
Bluesky: @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social 
Twitter: @PDefenselessPod 
Website: www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

On this episode, Hunter speaks with Judge Mimi Tsankov, former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ). Over nearly two decades on the bench, she served under five administrations and led the association that speaks for the country's immigration judges. Now she joins the show to explain what's broken in a court system that answers to the Justice Department, and why she decided to leave.
Guest:
Judge Mimi Tsankov, Former President, National Association of Immigration Judges
Resources:
Judge Tsankov's website: https://neutralstrategy.com
National Association of Immigration Judges: https://www.naij-usa.org/
TRAC Immigration: https://tracreports.org/immigration/reports/judgereports/00291NYC/index.html
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast 
YouTube: @publicdefenselesspodcast 
Facebook: Public Defenseless Podcast 
Bluesky: @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social 
Twitter: @PDefenselessPod 
Website: www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

In this episode, Hunter speaks with two criminal defense lawyers and former Public Defenders from the state of Alaska, Amanda Harber and David Case. For the entire 21st Century, the Alaska Legal System has been in a crisis. Too few lawyers. Too much space to cover. And recently, a tough on crime Governor who has pushed to solve social problems with incarceration. Along the way, many in the media have missed what is causing the Alaska legal system to fail.
 
Guest:
Amanda Harber, Criminal Defense Lawyer and Former Public Defender, Alaska
David Case, Criminal Defense Lawyer and Former Public Defender, Alaska
 
Resource:
Read More About Alaska Here

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2025/03/25/alaska-supreme-court-places-new-limits-on-pretrial-delays/
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2025/02/14/alaskas-chief-justice-vows-to-reduce-trial-delays-we-must-and-we-will-improve/
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2025/01/09/the-neverending-case-how-10-years-of-delays-have-prevented-a-horrendous-sexual-assault-allegation-from-going-to-trial/
https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2026/01/21/alaska-lawmaker-calls-for-hiring-more-prosecutors-and-public-defenders-to-reduce-extreme-delay-in-criminal-cases/
Contact Amdanda and David
https://www.49thstatelaw.com/
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast 
YouTube: @publicdefenselesspodcast 
Facebook: Public Defenseless Podcast 
Bluesky: @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social 
Twitter: @PDefenselessPod 
Website: www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

On this episode, Hunter was joined by C.J. Ciaramella of Reason. Recently, C.J. authored an article for Reason that provides an overview of different eras of prison policy and failed reform. In their discussion, Hunter and C.J. explore these eras of prison policy, the reasons why reforms failed, and what those failures tell us about the hope for future prison reforms.
 
Guest:
C.J. Ciaramella, Reporter, Reason
 
Resource:
Read the Article Here
https://reason.com/2026/09/08/the-american-prison-experiment/
Find More of C.J. here
https://reason.com/people/cj-ciaramella/
https://bsky.app/profile/cjciaramella.bsky.social
Read More of Reason Here
https://reason.com/
 
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Contact Hunter Parnell: 
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast 
YouTube: @publicdefenselesspodcast 
Facebook: Public Defenseless Podcast 
Bluesky: @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social 
Twitter: @PDefenselessPod 
Website: www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

On this episode, Hunter speaks with three members of the Maryland Defender Union, Rachel Kierfer, Alexis Rossetti, and Kalia Woods. They join to explain the recent victory the union secured to enforce their current contract and how the union is finding its voice to fight for better pay and workloads.
 
Guest:
Rachel Kiefer, Assistant Public Defender, Baltimore County, Maryland
Alexis Rossetti, Assistant Public Defender, Southern Maryland
Kalia Woods, Administrative Aide, Prince George's County, Maryland
 
Resource:
Read the Report Here
https://dbm.maryland.gov/budget/FY2026Testimony/C80B00.pdf
Follow the Union Here
https://www.instagram.com/marylanddefendersunion/ \
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram: @PublicDefenselessPodcast 
YouTube: @publicdefenselesspodcast 
Facebook: Public Defenseless Podcast 
Bluesky: @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social 
Twitter: @PDefenselessPod 
Website: www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast 
Donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****