Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter was joined by Alena Chulick, the Co-Founder and Project Manager of Project Rehabilitate out of the Allegheny County Public Defender. Thanks to a federal grant, Project Rehabilitate has been able to keep people out of custody and kept them in the care they need to get back on their feet.
 
Guest:
Alena Chulick, Co-Founder and Project Manager, Project Rehabilitate, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
 
Resource:
Project Rehabilitate
https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Public-Defender/Project-Rehabilitate
Allegheny County PD Website
https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Public-Defender\
 
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
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@PublicDefenselessPodcast
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@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com 
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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

Today, Hunter was joined by Ann Miller, Susette Billedeaux, and Josh Cahoon from the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. They joined the show to the tell the history of this office and how they've built it into a model holistic office.
 
 
Guest:
Ann Miller, Managing Attorney, Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana
Susette Billedeaux, Holistic Programming Director Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana
Josh Cahoon, Lead Case Manager Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana
 
 
Resource:
 
https://cskt.org/tribal-defenders-office/
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
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@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter                                                                
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com 
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www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
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https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
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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****

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Shira Diner. Last time she was on the show, she explained why the bar advocates in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases. This time, she joins to explain how the Legislature and Judiciary responded and what comes next for the state.  
 
Guest:
Shira Diner, Professor of Law, Boston University
 
Resource:
 
Read the Case Here
 
https://statecourtreport.org/case-tracker/committee-public-counsel-services-v-middlesex-and-suffolk-county-district-courts
 
Updated Coverage
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2026-03-17/following-high-court-ruling-mass-bar-advocates-turn-to-lobbying-lawmakers
https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/05/defense-lawyers-sue-over-mass-law-they-say-stops-them-from-fighting-for-better-pay.html
https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/04/04/massachusetts-continues-to-address-bar-advocate-shortage-with-incentive-plan/
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter                                                                
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
 Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
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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****

Today, Hunter was joined by Damon Silver Chief Defender of the Santa Clara County Public Defender. Home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County is struggling with a large budget deficit due to federal budget cuts. As such, the Public Defender Office has lost full time positions and is facing a severe workload crisis.
 
Guest:
Damon Silver, Chief Public Defender, Santa Clara County, California
 
Resource:
 
Read More Here
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-public-defenders-crushed-by-caseloads/
https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/san-jose-spotlight-santa-clara-county-public-22236000.php
 
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter                                                                
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com 
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
 Donate on PayPal
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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****

Today, Hunter was joined by Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst, two Public Defender leaders from Spokane, Washington. They joined the show to explain why they decided to sue their county over the workload standards the county recently imposed.
 
Guest:
Colin Charbonneau, Director, Spokane County Public Defenders, Washington
Victoria Blumhorst, Director, Counsel for Defense, Spokane, Washington
 
Resource:
Read the Complaint Here
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j9QTRxm6VXpiZQTmvdkgY9HHwgauBt_L?usp=drive_link
 
Read more about the story here
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/may/11/public-defenders-sue-spokane-county-over-work-stan/
https://www.kxly.com/news/public-defenders-sue-spokane-county-over-excessive-caseloads/article_fc46807b-d0f0-4171-9533-0c5acdf2a59f.html
https://www.inlander.com/news/spokane-county-public-defenders-challenge-their-caseloads-in-court-and-at-the-bargaining-table/article_e883ca3a-4f51-4373-959c-2684f35ccf31.html
https://www.spokanecounty.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6067
https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/spokane-county-sued-public-defender-caseload-limits/293-568f4e4c-a03c-4671-a74f-d3c0fcf081ec
https://www.spokanecounty.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/6049
Contact Colin and Victoria Here
CHARBONNEAU@spokanecounty.gov
vblumhorst@spokanecounty.gov
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter                                                                
@PDefenselessPod
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****