New Jersey State Bar Association headquarters New Jersey State Bar Association headquarters at 1 Constitution Square, New Brunswick, NJ. Credit: Google

Capitol Report

30th anniversary of 'Madden v. Township of Delran begs discussion of mandatory pro bono assignments

The NJSBA's Right to Counsel Implementation Committee is hosting a Madden Summit to focus attention on the system of assignments of counsel to right to counsel cases pursuant to the decision of Madden v. Twp. of Delran, 126 N.J. 591 (1992). The Pro Bono Committee is co-sponsoring this event, which marks the 30th anniversary of the Madden decision, which held that the state has the primary obligation to provide effective counsel in matters implicating consequences of magnitude.

The summit will be held on Oct. 26. A large part of the conference will focus on a discussion among stakeholders on how to implement assignments such that indigent defendants receive effective counsel.